


This Wasn't Planned, But It'll Work Out

by Anonymous



Series: L'Manburg's Rise And Fall, As Told By Children In Soldiers' Clothing [1]
Category: Mcyt Dream SMP, Minecraft (Video Game)
Genre: :(, Abuse, Adoption, Aka they can sense other demons by scent which translates to color, Amnesia, Angst, Arson, As of chapter 41 Schlatt is only mentioned dw dw, As of chapter 46 Schlatt is here, Author has poor short term memory so sorry if I forgot about a detail i wrote in, Betrayal, Blood and Injury, But he still does doctor shit, Chapter 25 nerfed everyone including my email acc, Child Death, Demon synesthesia, Demonic Possession, Dreamons, Execution, Festival....., Fluff, Fluff and Angst, George wants to nap, Head Injury, Heavy Angst, Hurt/Comfort, Hybrids, Hypixel exists, I promise, I should fix that but I'm lazy, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Karl has an actual role in this story, Karl keeps dying I'm sorry, Karl says a singular swear word, Karl showed back up, Kidnapping, Lots of Hurt, Not the green one, Pain, Ponk's medical degree is questionable, Puffy and Schlatt have Sibling Problems, Puffy is a pirate captain, Punz isn't the smartest but he does know when to call for help, Purpled has a bit of a grudge against Techno but that's okay, Realistic Minecraft, Rebellion, Red festival 2 be specific, Redstone man and his redstone children, Respawn Mechanics, Sam got prisoned with Niki because he was being too much of a worried dad, Sam sees these kids and immediately adopts them, Sapnap wants his family 2 be safe, Sapnap's here what did you expect, Sbi is a family, Technical running away, Temporary Character Death, The redstone children are Fundy n Tubbo if you didn't notice, They/Them Pronouns for Eret (Video Blogging RPF), Tommy is traumatized and has decided that that exempts him from being called a kid, Trigger warnings are in every chapter beginning, Tubbo really needs a fucking hug, Updating tags takes forever so most of these are out of date, We're getting into it lads, adoption in the sense of 'this is my kid now, and god it got sad, and so does everyone, and there's nothing you can do about it', but all that's happening is attacks, dream becomes a dad on a Wednesday morning, dream came out here to have a good time, dream george and sap become roommates to raise this kid dream found, found family shenanigans, it's all platonic tho, just give him time to show up, sorry lads - Freeform, tags will update as this goes, they'll show up later
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-30
Updated: 2021-03-01
Packaged: 2021-03-08 22:20:56
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 53
Words: 84,200
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27284074
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/
Summary: Dream isn't sure what to think when he finds a kid on his doorstep, but he can't just leave him there, now can he?(He doesn't know what he's getting into, or what he's gotten the kid into, either)____Please don't send to any CCs, this is posted anonymously for a reason, I absolutely cannot stand the feeling of being Known
Relationships: Clay | Dream & GeorgeNotFound & Darryl Noveschosch & Sapnap, Clay | Dream & GeorgeNotFound & Karl Jacobs & Sapnap, Clay | Dream & Toby Smith | Tubbo, Dave | Technoblade & Toby Smith | Tubbo & Wilbur Soot & TommyInnit & Phil Watson, GeorgeNotFound & Toby Smith | Tubbo, Karl Jacobs & Sapnap, Luke | Punz & Ponk | DropsByPonk, No Romantic Relationship(s), Ranboo & Phil Watson (Video Blogging RPF), Ranboo & Technoblade & Phil Watson (Video Blogging RPF), Ranboo & Technoblade (Video Blogging RPF), Toby Smith | Tubbo & TommyInnit, TommyInnit & Technoblade (Video Blogging RPF), Wilbur Soot & Technoblade & TommyInnit & Phil Watson, Wilbur Soot & TommyInnit
Series: L'Manburg's Rise And Fall, As Told By Children In Soldiers' Clothing [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2013610
Comments: 5680
Kudos: 4235
Collections: Anonymous





	1. 1

**Author's Note:**

> I'm not sure how long this will be, and I don't have a plan for it yet, so I want to warm you that it might either end weirdly or never get finished. Either way, it's fun writing it! 
> 
> Again, this is all platonic! Any triggers will be put at the beginning of the chapters!!
> 
> Tw; implied/referenced abuse

Tubbo is five when Dream finds him alone. Well, not _finds_ , rather, opens the door to him standing there. The man doesn't know what else to do, other than bring the kid inside. He's all scraped up and bruised, and Dream isn't sure he wants to think about why. He chalks it up to kids doing whatever kids did. Hell, he got into his fair share of trouble when he was younger.

He doesn't think about why a five year old would be getting into enough trouble to look the way he does.

Tubbo doesn't talk at first. His blonde hair is a mess, and his big blue eyes look like they're two seconds from popping out of his tiny skull. He's got a backpack that's pretty much as big as him, and he doesn't let go of the straps. He follows Dream inside, but doesn't let him touch him. It makes it difficult to patch him up, so Dream directs him to the couch of the home he hasn't even lived in for a full year yet. He rummages around and puts a bowl of dry cereal next to Tubbo and sits on the other side of the room. The little boy hugs his backpack and picks at the cereal.

He knows he should've called someone way sooner, probably immediately, but he hasn't even tried to talk to the frankly-way-too-small child yet. He wonders if this counts as shock. He pulls out his comm tablet and sends a quick message to two of his friends, who probably know nothing about children. Sapnap, being the closest, shows up first, but it isn't long before George makes an appearance as well. 

When the goggled man speaks, it's like a gunshot in the silence that's filled the house until now. "So who's the dad?"

His attempt at lightening the situation gets a snort out of Sapnap, who responds with, "I think he just committed mitosis."

"Ha ha," Dream rolls his eyes with a snort. Tubbo watches the interactions carefully. "I think he was left at the door," Dream continues. George hums.

"So you brought him inside?" 

"What else was I supposed to do? Shut the door? Look at him, he's like two." 

Tubbo lets go of one strap and pats the couch with his hand to try to get their attention. It goes unnoticed for the most part, aside from Sapnap glancing over, curious. 

"Okay, fair, but did you look around at all?"

"... No."

"Dream! His parents could be around! What if he just wandered off?"

"Oh shit."

Tubbo takes advantage of Sapnap's glance and holds up five fingers. Sapnap tilts his head a bit and points at the kid. The kid nods.

"Oh shit is right, dude! You could've just kidnapped a child!"

"Guys?" Sapnap cuts into the conversation. Dream and George look over at him.

"Yeah?" Dream asks. Sapnap points a thumb at Tubbo.

"He said he's five, actually."

When Dream looks over at the small blonde, Tubbo immediately puts his hand back down, like he's trying to pretend he hasn't done a thing. Dream smiles behind his mask, because he's already seen it. George's brows furrow.

"Are you sure? He's so… tiny." Tubbo nods slowly at first, and then a little faster. 

Sapnap sits down on the other end of the couch, bored of standing. Seeing as he's _obviously_ the best one with communication so far since he's _clearly_ Tubbo's favorite, he starts talking again. 

"Goggy's right, you're kinda shrimpy, kid." Tubbo makes a face. "Don't like shrimp?" Sapnap gets a rapid head shake in response. He laughs a bit.

"Guys look, I'm like, the favorite." He brags to his friends. Even if he doesn't know the kid's name. He'll get there. And Dream and George will laugh at him and help until they figure it out.

* * *

When Tubbo conks out a few hours later, Dream takes the responsibility of carefully removing the toddler's backpack so he can lay the kid down easier. The bag is ratty and dirty and fraying at a few seams. Only now does he notice the piece of unevenly ripped notebook paper that's been shoved into the side pocket.

Sapnap leans over his shoulder as he pulls it out and does his best to read the bleeding marker. 

_'I wanna say sorry before you read this. I can't ~~say~~ write my name because of reasons. This is my baby brother, his name's Tubbo and he's really little. He's five years old, which is like, eight years younger than me, so I can't take care of him as good as I'd want to. So I'm giving him to you, if you'll take care of him.'_

Dream flips the paper over to decipher the rest on the back. Sharpie wasn't the smartest choice to use when writing on thin paper, but he can't blame the—he takes a second to do the math—teen who'd written it. It looked rushed. 

_'If you can't, please find someone who can. I made sure to bring him as far as I could and I put all his stuff in my bag, but it's kinda crap, so I don't know if any fell out before you got this. He likes bees and green, and your bushes had a lot of bees, so I thought it would be a good place for him. I pinky promised him I'd come back, so if you give him away, make sure he can get back to your house easy.'_

Dream glances back at the little boy—Tubbo, he now knows— snoozing away on his couch. He frowns. The note crumples a little in his hands, and George looks back at the bag. No wonder the kid wouldn't let go of it for anything. He reaches for it again and finds the bit of paper that'd been torn off. Even connected, it wasn't a full sheet.

_'I got the important stuff out first, but I forgot to say he's different. I don't know if you're safe people, so you're gonna have to wait to know what I mean. Please be safe people. Please take care of my baby brother and tell him you love him every day._ '

Sapnap frowns and returns to his spot on the couch. A cold feeling settles in Dream's stomach as he realizes that this kid wasn't just rowdy like he'd first assumed. He won't be giving him away, he decides. He knows his friends can tell, too.

"So," George is good at breaking the silence, Sapnap decides, and he's only being half sarcastic this time. "You're gonna keep him?"

Dream doesn't hesitate before he replies, "Yeah. Yes. Yeah."

Sapnap nods slowly, "M'kay. So, uh," he tugs the blanket they'd laid over Tubbo a little closer to the kid's chin, "you willing to give up your spare rooms?"

Dream's only got two, one of which he's already thinking about how to turn into a room for Tubbo, but he doesn't understand why he'd need to give up the second one. 

"Yeah, but why?"

"How can you be so smart and so dense at the same time?" George sighs, "We're gonna help you out with this. And that's easier when we're in the same house." 

Behind his mask, Dream smiles again. 


	2. 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sapnap thinks (surprising, I know).

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi!! This one feels longer, but I'm not sure it is. I've got a basic plan set out for how these chapters are going to go if this goes further, so!!!! We've got some sort of plan!!!
> 
> TWs: implied/referenced assault as a result of differences

When Sapnap wakes up, he's almost half convinced that the whole Tubbo thing was a crazy dream. He looks around for a minute and decides that it wasn't one, because the kid is still asleep, tucked into the opposite side of the couch, and George is snoring away on one of the chairs in Dream's living room. Dream himself isn't there, so Sapnap decides that his masked friend probably went to sleep in his own room. 

None of them really know what to do about this whole thing. The note was all of the information they had on Tubbo, and Sapnap was pretty sure he was the only one that really had any ideas on what 'different' meant. Then again, he could be thinking way too hard about it, maybe wishing a little too hard to find someone sorta like himself. 

Hybrids weren't  _ uncommon _ , per say, they actually made up a decent portion of the population, but there just weren't many around this particular area. Sapnap was sure he was one of the only ones around for miles, and even then he wasn't technically supposed to be on this side of the portals. It wasn't his fault that some green speed god (in the most joking way, though it wasn't good to compare gods and mortals in the first place, but whatever) and a colorblind goggle boy had tripped into the Nether and insisted he come back with them. 

Hybrids were more common in the Nether, Sapnap recalls. The most heard of were Blazes and Piglins, sometimes Ghasts. Then there were just people like Bad, who no one was really sure of being hybrid or not. Sapnap himself was a Blaze hybrid through and through. He loved how fire crackled and popped, and loved being there to make it. His eyes, often mistaken for black or dark brown, were more on the simmering red side, and he'd learned how to hide most blaze-related physical qualities with the help of long sleeves and spells. He radiated a heat that was better described as a fireplace than natural body warmth, and people often curled up to him when it got cold.

But when he looks back at Tubbo, he knows that the kid won't come near any of them for a while. He briefly wonders if the kid is from the Nether, too, but the thought is wiped away as he watches the little blonde pull the blanket tighter in his sleep. No, Tubbo's too cold to be from the Nether, Sapnap decides. Then again, he could be wrong about the whole Tubbo-possibly-being-a-hybrid thing entirely, and the note could've been talking about something else.

Sapnap thinks back on it, though, thinks about one line specifically. ‘I don't know if you're safe people’ it had been. Maybe he's right, he thinks, standing and stretching. Maybe the kid who wrote the note knew about the types of people that didn't like  _ different _ . The black haired man frowns at that. If he was counting right, the note writer is only about thirteen. Kids shouldn't have to deal with awful people, shouldn't have to deal with being hurt for being different. 

Dream comes down the hall a moment later with a few medical supplies tucked under his arm. He uses his free hand to wave towards Sapnap, who returns the gesture.

"What's all that for?" Sapnap breaks the silence, pointing at the bundle of bandages and the such. 

"Tubbo wouldn't let any of us get near him yesterday when he was awake, so I came up with a solution: fix him up while he's asleep," Dream shrugs, walking around the couch. He sits in the middle near Tubbo, and puts the supplies down on the table in front of him. Sapnap sits on the armrest.

"What if he wakes up?" He asks. He's not sure that the five year old would react too well to that, but he knows he doesn't wanna scare the kid. 

"Haven't thought that far," Dream says, (1,000% IQ, Sapnap thinks) "but I think I'll just let him know I'm not gonna hurt him. I mean, right now I'm just banking on him being a heavy sleeper, honestly."

"Well I'm clearly the fan favorite," Sapnap grins, remembering the day before, where he'd been communicated with not once, but  _ twice _ , "so I'll help. Goggy's dead to the world, anyway."

Sapnap can feel the eye roll from behind Dream's mask. He can also feel the smile, so he knows it's fine. Dream carefully scoots the blanket away from Tubbo's tiny body and moves the boy so he's more sitting than lying down. Sapnap reaches a hand over, hovering to make sure Tubbo doesn't flop over. He won't lie, he's a little scared to touch the kid. His hands are no exception to his heat, and even with the gloves that cover all but three fingers, he knows he runs the risk of burning someone if his skin makes contact. 

Dream works quickly, cleaning up dried blood from a few deeper scrapes, and lightly rubbing healing salve on darker bruises. He's scared of getting closer to Tubbo's face, but both he and Sapnap know that they can't just leave his injuries to get infected. After briefly hesitating, Dream continues to clean Tubbo up. It's the best they can do for now, not knowing if he'll let them get close enough to get him to take a bath. 

Now, Dream doesn't mean to mess the kid's hair up too much, but it's just a bit too long, falling into his face and covering his ears. Sapnap gapes like a fish above the water when Dream moves the blonde mess a bit to reveal small ears—small  _ inhuman _ ears. The boy's got what looks like lamb's ears, or maybe a goat's. They're small, and the white fur on them is thin. There's no cuts or injuries along the furry appendages, so Dream just sort of brushes Tubbo's hair back over them. 

"So," Dream sits back now that his job is (mostly) done, "that's what 'different' meant."

He turns and looks at Sapnap, who is carefully, carefully laying Tubbo back down and tugging the blanket back over him. The Blaze hybrid has a wide smile that could be either relief or excitement, though it does have a small bit of unease to it.

"Yeah," He replies. They both sit there in relative silence before Dream brings up the first and only thing he's really been thinking of since he saw the ears.

"Do you think that's why…" he trails off, not sure he should really continue, vaguely gesturing at Tubbo and the leftover medical supplies. Sapnap deflates a little and shrugs.

"It's definitely a possibility, but like, I don't really wanna think about that, honestly. Y'know?" 

Dream nods. "Yeah. Well, good news: you've got someone like you here now—"

"I'm not a goat." 

"—and he's got someone who kinda sorta knows what's up."

Sapnap stops interjecting. He doesn't know the first thing about goats or lambs or whatever the fuck Tubbo is a hybrid of (honestly he spends more time tormenting animals than taking care of them—Patches excluded) but he does know that being a hybrid in general is hard. Plus, the general range of animals that Tubbo could be get scared easy, or have some sort of mega flight or fight instinct, if Sapnap recalls correctly. Nether beasts are more aggressive. He isn't sure he'll be the best one for Tubbo to look up to, unless the kid wants to be double outcast by the weirdos.

But the point was that aside from Bad and Ant (who was, like, always gone anyway), Sapnap was probably the only one Tubbo would be able to even somewhat relate to. He isn't sure he's okay with that, honestly. He doesn't wanna fuck this kid's childhood up any more than it already is. But he shrugs and nods anyway.

"Yeah, okay, fair."

It's quiet for a bit longer before Dream starts to back up the mess, heading back down the hallway to put the rest back. Sapnap stands up again and heads to the kitchen. He can probably find some bread or something to snack on until George wakes up. Dream might be able to throw together a bowl of dry Cheerios, but George was better with actual cooking, and Sapnap was hungry.

Making up his mind, he heads back out to the living room and pokes at George until he wakes up. By now, Dream is back, lounging on another chair in the room and watching his friends goof off. He looks back over at Tubbo, who looks even smaller when he's on the couch by himself. He makes a mental note to dump a healing pot in a cup and call it juice for the kid later. 

This'll work, he thinks as Sapnap drags George to the kitchen with a whine, this is going to work out. It's got to.


	3. 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tubbo learns a few funny words!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Karl chapter Karl chapter Karl chapter
> 
> Karl 100% babysitter win rate
> 
> TW: mentions of nightmares, mentions of nails on chalkboard (I know that bugs some people so be aware)

Tubbo is six when he decides to start talking. Not to Dream, George, or Sapnap specifically, but to the person currently watching him—a friend of the trio's. Karl knocks his knee against the table while standing up, and when he replaces a curse with 'honk', Tubbo laughs his little head off.

"My suffering is entertainment for the masses," Karl laughs along with the lamb hybrid (they'd figured out just what he was after a few months of digging around for information).

"Honk!" Tubbo giggles in return. It seems like the funniest thing in the world to him, like a joke that's never been told before now. Karl's face hurts from how much he's smiling.

"Honk!" He says back. Tubbo flops onto his side from how much he's laughing. The good thing about him being as small as he is is that he doesn't fall off of the chair while doing this. 

The past year lets Tubbo get closer to his new caretakers, and while he does have bad days, he's gotten better with contact. So when he rolls back into a sitting position making grabby hands, Karl picks him up without much hesitation.

"Honk honk!" Tubbo cheers. He shrieks and laughs when Karl dances around to imaginary music. Tubbo doesn't have favorites, but Karl's definitely adding this to the light competition anyway. 

For another ten or fifteen minutes, all that can be heard in the house is laughter and choruses of 'honk', at least until Tubbo doesn't want to be held anymore. Karl sets him down easily, and the kid scrambles over to the window. The brunette follows him, but nothing is out there. 

"Mmmmmm!" Tubbo hums, pointing through the glass at the bushes. 

"Tubs, leaves don't taste good, trust me," Karl squats down and leans on the window frame with the lamb-boy. Tubbo's on his tip-toes, barely peeking over the sill, so Karl leans down to have the same range of sight.

"Mmmmmm!" Tubbo continues to tap at the window, and Karl follows his point. Bumble bees fly around the bush, and if one listens close enough, one could hear their buzzing through the window. Karl guesses it's easier for Tubbo to hear them, with his ears and all.

"The bees?" 

"Mmmm!"

"Buzz buzzzzz!" Karl grins. Tubbo hops up and down with a wide smile of his own. He nods rapidly. 

"Bzzz!" He copies, and Karl adds another imaginary point. His goal of being the favorite uncle is totally getting achieved today. 

"Wanna go outside with the bees?" 

Tubbo nods again, practically buzzing with excitement, pun intended. Karl helps him with his shoes, and then the two head outside. Tubbo stays near the adult, but otherwise hops around the house with the bees. They follow him around as he copies their buzzing with a giggle. 

Karl, like the responsible and mature adult he is, joins in. Part of him is, of course, keeping an eye on their surroundings for any monsters or people, but a bigger part of him is happy to just goof around and make Tubbo feel safe. He knows he's done a good job of that when the blue eyed boy points at one of the bugs and says, "Bee!"

"Yeah! What sound do bees make?"

"Mmmm! Bzzzz!"

"Yeah!" Karl cheers as Tubbo laughs and runs around some more. 

They stay outside until the sun starts to set and Tubbo's eyes droop further shut every time he blinks. He has Karl pick him back up, because they've wandered a bit further into the field next to the house, and he's only six, and very small, and tired. When they reach the house again, Tubbo waves an arm at the door.

"Et," he yawns. Karl shakes his head.

"No, bud, they're not back yet. They'll be here when you wake up, promise. Swear on my honks." 

This makes Tubbo laugh a little before he yawns again and he tucks his head down. He's asleep in seconds, which is only a little bit of an issue, because Karl still has to take the kid's shoes off and get him into bed. He manages.

When Tubbo's all tucked in and the lights in his room are off (aside from the cartoony bee nightlight), Karl heads out to the living room again. He cleans up what little mess there is before flopping down on the couch. Stretched out, he pulls out his comms tablet and sends a message to his friends, who are out on a manhunt and should be back somewhere around one or two in the morning.

_**KarlJacobs:** You guys missed the cutest honking things :)_

_**Dream:** Oh yeah?_

_**Sapnap:** tellmetellmetellmetellmetemrmemdke_

_**KarlJacobs:** no you have to find out when you get back :)_

_**GeorgeNotFound:** :(_

Karl laughs to himself and slides the tablet away. It'll be a while until they get back, so he toes his shoes off and shuffles deeper into the couch. He dozes off not much later with the knowledge that Tubbo is safe and that his friends are having the time of their lives (again).

* * *

He's woken up an hour or so later by small hands tugging at his arm. He's up and aware after a few moments, and he meets teary blue eyes. Karl immediately sits up with a worried frown as Tubbo climbs onto the couch next to him. 

"Hey, hey, kiddo, what's wrong?" Karl asks carefully. The kid shakes his head and clings to him wordlessly. Karl's not sure what else to do than hug him back and hope he either calms down or falls back asleep. 

"Okay, that's okay. You're safe, I promise," he squints as he looks up at the clock in the dark living room; it's eleven thirty, "they'll be back in a few hours, okay?"

"Et?"

"Not yet, I'm sorry."

Karl would rather listen to nails on chalkboards on loop for ten hours than hear the whimpering noise Tubbo makes. He swears his heart shatters ten times over. He tugs out his comms tablet and shoots the trio another message with his free hand.

_**KarlJacobs:** when are you guys gonna be back again? I think Tubbo had a nightmare :(_

He gets an almost immediate response.

_**GeorgeNotFound:** we can head back now_

_**Dream:** yeah gimme a few to meet back up with Sap and George_

_**Sapnap:** is he okay?_

_**KarlJacobs:** I think so? He's just hugging me and he sounds really sad :( _

_**KarlJacobs:** He keeps asking if you guys are back yet_

_**Dream:** asking??? _

_**GeorgeNotFound:** holy shit you mean he's talking_

_**KarlJacobs:** Yeah but that isn't the point right now_

_**Sapnap:** I think we can make it back in uhhhhhh_

_**GeorgeNotFound:** two ish hours? One if we go through the Nether_

_**Sapnap:** fuck yeaaaaaaah_

_**KarlJacobs:** sap I know the Nether is your whole thing but I think it'd be easier if you guys Didn't Die on the way, yanno?_

_**Dream:** still losing my brain, but yeah we should probably stay in the overworld for now_

_**Dream:** try to get Tubbo to go back to sleep, talk about boring things_

_**KarlJacobs:** k, stay safe guys :)_

Karl pushes the comm tablet away and goes back to hugging Tubbo with both arms, practically enveloping the kid entirely. He talks about trees and construction and games until the six year old seems to calm down. Tubbo looks up and once again asks, "Et?"

"I'm sorry, Tubs, they'll be here as soon as they can," is what Karl replies with. Tubbo frowns and buries his face in the man's side. 

"I know, kid, I know."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really liked writing this one!!! It's probably my favorite chapter so far :] 
> 
> Bees!!


	4. 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tubbo trusts.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Y'all are gonna like this one :]
> 
> No TWs for this chapter

Dream is the first one through the door, because they've all decided that he's filling the role of a dad, and he's very good at it. His worry can be felt through the entire house, but when he flicks on the lights, Karl is the only one to stir. The poor guy'd been almost entirely asleep, Tubbo still curled up and sleeping the world away in his lap. Dream visibly deflates with relief.

Sapnap and George follow their housemate and on-hold-prey inside. The trio does their best to be as quiet as possible as they file into the house and strip their armor off. By the time they've gotten somewhat situated, Karl is awake (again) and making sure that Tubbo isn't. He waves at his friends slightly, not willing to wake the kid up. 

"He conked out a bit after we talked," Karl explains with a yawn, "He'll be over the honking moon to see you guys later, though, he missed you all."

Sapnap nods with a hum of acknowledgement as Dream heads over to the couch. With some maneuvering, they manage to transfer Tubbo to Dream's lap without waking him up. The kid simply latches onto Dream in his sleep, re-buries his head into the nearest chest, and settles down again. Dream hugs him carefully, and when he's one-hundred percent sure that Tubbo won't wake up again— the kid really slept like a rock— he looks back at Karl.

"You said he spoke?"

Karl nods rapidly, waking himself up fully, "Yeah! He thinks 'honk' is pretty funny, turns out!" He grins. Sapnap lightly punches him in the shoulder with a short laugh.

"Nerd!"

"Hey, honk  _ is  _ fun!" 

George flops down on one of the chairs with a smile, watching his friends. He pulls his goggle-glasses off to rub at his own tired eyes. The adrenaline from chasing Dream for miles and miles, paired with the worry over Tubbo, leaves him pretty tired, but he's still got questions.

"You said he kept asking if we were coming back, right?"

Karl looks over at the other brunette, "Kinda. He said 'et' a buncha times at the door, so I think he was asking if you guys were back yet. Oh!" His eyes light up, "you know how that note said he likes bees? We went outside for a while before dark, and he said 'bee'!"

"That is  _ the _ cutest shit I've ever heard," Sapnap says with a grin, "li'l bee boy."

Dream nods, and everyone can tell he's smiling when he looks down at Tubbo. "I'm glad he had fun today," he looks at Karl once again, "Thanks, dude, seriously. Knew he'd feel safe around you."

"Karl's a safe kinda dude!" Sapnap agrees. George shakes his head rapidly.

"No— no, he can radiate all the safe, happy, innocent energy he wants, but we have all seen him with the fence post that one time," he laughs. Karl fake pouts, but it's all in good fun, because he and the others smile too.

"I was safe! Life hacks." 

"Sure, sure."

The conversation trickles down into meaningless chatter in the pitch black hours of early morning. When George joins Karl in the occasional yawn, they decide that it's probably time to turn in. Karl evicts Dream from the couch and falls asleep within a few minutes. Sapnap claims the shower, which means George and Dream will have to wait until tomorrow to get cleaned up, because the hot water might as well be copyrighted by the Blaze hybrid, and by the time the magma they've put next to the water tank underground heats up more of said water, it'll be light outside. 

Dream tucks Tubbo back in his own bed, checks that the nightlight is still working, and heads to his room. George can hear the masked man flop down, and based on the fact that he can't hear anything else, he's sure that Dream's just passed out or dead to the world. He can pretend all he wants, but George knows the guy, and out of everyone he knows, Dream has the most thrash-and-crash he's seen. The Brit isn't sure where he finds the energy; he'd much rather sleep through the world ending.

So George heads to his side of his and Sapnap's room, tosses his dirty clothes on the floor to be dealt with later, throws on pajamas (because unlike the rest of this household— other than Tubbo— he has the decency to change), and happily cocoons himself in blankets. He's out before he can hear the water start.

* * *

  
  


When George drags himself out of bed the next afternoon (sue him, he's tired), the house is alive with energy. Tubbo's running around the table, Sapnap behind him. They're playing a chasing game, George concludes, because Tubbo's laughing loudly, and Sapnap is chanting, "I'm gonna getcha!"

Dream's sitting on the table, legs pulled up criss-cross so he doesn't trip his kid or his roommate up. George watches him swing a leg down once, though, just quick enough to make Sapnap stumble, before pulling it back up. George can feel the snicker from where he stands at the end of the hallway. Tubbo looks around as he darts, spots Karl, and seems to make a silent agreement. 

Tubbo breaks the circular pattern, runs to the side, and shrieks, "Honk!"

When Tubbo jumps up, Karl's quick to catch him. Dream is prepared to jump off the table and catch the kid himself, it seems, even if Tubbo can't really jump that high at all. The masked man is half off of the table, and the room freezes for a moment (aside from Karl and Tubbo).

(Maybe because of Karl and Tubbo, because they're going back and forth, honking, and Sapnap can't stop smiling, and George can't stop listening, and Dream is almost moving his mask aside to be sure his eyes aren't tricking him)

Sapnap starts laughing, joining in on the honking. He, George, and Dream make their way over to Tubbo, who is absolutely delighted at the attention. The kid branches out his vocabulary, shouting 'bee' at random intervals. If anyone lived nearby, they'd probably think there was a party with all of the happy yelling going on.

The real kicker, though, is when Tubbo reaches for Dream, and the whole room  _ really _ stops when he says, "Dadda!"

Everyone's jaws seem to drop, and Tubbo looks confused. He frowns as he looks around, like he's done something wrong. Dream is the first to shake out of the stupor. He takes his mask off for real, because he's around his friends and— and his kid. He's thought of Tubbo as his kid for the past year, been called his dad for the year as well, but it's solidified, now, that he's chosen to take care of Tubbo and raise him. He takes Tubbo from Karl's arms and smiles wide enough to rival his mask.

" 'm not a'pposed t'say it?" Tubbo mumbles. Dream hugs him close, still shocked that Tubbo's even talking at all.

"No, no, kiddo, you can call me dad if you want, it's okay!" 

Tubbo's mood lifts instantly, and he hugs his dad. Yeah, that's his dad, now, he's decided. The other three immediately return to cheering and whooping. 

Tubbo is six years old when he learns that he can really trust them all, and from then on he never stops talking. It's usually rambles that don't make sense, but George is happy to hear him talk, and Sapnap is always ready to talk to the kid, and Dream is in awe every time, and Karl's still keeping tally ("He spoke to me first—I'm the favorite!" All in jokes and good humor). 

He doesn't talk about before he was brought to Dream, but no one really wants to bring it up, anyway. Dream wonders if Tubbo remembers the thirteen year old that brought him here, if he remembers their face at all. He makes a quiet note, that the kid should be fourteen now, and that if they ever show up, he'll happily call them his child too.

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know this sounds like the end, kinda, but it isn't!!!! The next chapter introduced SBI!!!!
> 
> * Also! It isn't mentioned in this fic atm, but the reason Dream wears a mask in this story is because of scarring, which is why he doesn't really take it off until he needs to tell Tubbo it's okay!


	5. 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tubbo makes a friend!
> 
> This one might be longer than the others, but that's because it's got more dialogue!!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> SBI chapter :]

When Tubbo is seven years old, he makes his very first friend. The best part? Tommy isn't all human, and neither is anyone in his family! They're all hybrids, which means he and Sapnap (who he nicknames Sappa, because when you're six years old and talking at full volume in run-on sentences, words blur, and nicknames stick) aren't alone anymore. 

He's not sure what Tommy is, really, because he's only seven, but he knows that Tommy's got two small horns and a tail and a personality that makes him think that he and Sapnap would either get along great or fight to the death daily. Sapnap isn't home when Tubbo spots Tommy, though, it's just George (it's quicker to say Goggy) because Dad and Sapnap went on a supply trip, and Karl (who's nickname is now Honk, because it's just so fun) is with friends. 

So Tubbo grabs George's hand and points outside, "Goggy, Goggy, Goggy, Goggy, look! Look, they're like me, kinda, but different, but! But! Can we go say hi? Please?" He speaks miles per minute, and George laughs and nods.

Tubbo shoves his shoes on as fast as possible before grabbing George's hand and practically dragging him outside. The odd family of five are moving in on the other side of the field, a house having been recently constructed. Slowly, though, Tubbo slows down and hides behind George as they walk.

"You good, Tubs?"

Tubbo hums, nods. He lets George lead them the rest of the way, and when they get there, Tubbo knocks on the door, because he's a big kid and he can knock on doors without being scared now. He darts right back behind George, though, because behind doors are people, and people are, as Sapnap would say, 'fucking scary' sometimes.

A young teenager opens the door, and he's the most tired-looking person that Tubbo has ever seen in his life. He's a piglin hybrid, Tubbo thinks, remembering the stories and pictures Sapnap's shown him, with pink hair and tusks and drooping ears. Tubbo looks down and sees hooves, looks back up and sees red eyes. 

"...Hi." The teen speaks lowly, monotonous. A commotion can be heard behind the boy, and seconds later, a small blonde child with two red nubs on his head comes barrelling down the hall at top speed, screaming, "I've got it, I've got it! Lemme answer the door!"

The pink haired boy stops the child by simply turning around, positioning himself like someone getting ready to block a tackle, and scooping the child up at the last second. He turns back to George and Tubbo while holding the child backwards over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes. The little boy has a tail, apparently, and it is flicking angrily. He screeches and kicks and wriggles, but something tells George that he's in no danger, and this is normal. Tubbo giggles.

"No, don't laugh!" The boy whines, "Techno put me down! Lemme go! You're a bitch!"

A gasp comes from further inside the house, and an adult rushes to the door, "Tommy! You can't say that, there are people here!" He turns toward George and Tubbo, "I am so, so sorry—"

Tubbo just starts laughing, which makes 'Tommy' whine more, and George smiles and shakes his head, "It's alright, we don't mind. I'm George," he holds a hand out, "and this is Tubbo."

The man shakes George's hand, "Phil," Phil's got large wings sprouting from his back, and eyes greener than Dad's, and Tubbo doesn't know what he is, but Phil looks cool, "This is Techno, and that little devil is Tommy."

"I'm not a devil! I am  _ so  _ nice! Put me down or I'll bite you!"

Techno drops Tommy without batting an eye. Tommy lands with a thud. He rolls over and pops right back up within seconds, though, and turns around to face the outside of his house. He looks up at George, then down at Tubbo, who is still so small that he mistakes the other seven year old for a five year old.

"You're tiny."

"Tommy," Phil warns. Tommy does not listen. Instead, he shoves a hand in Tubbo's face.

"I'm Tommy!" 

Tubbo grins. "I'm Tubbo! And you're loud."

Tommy looks almost offended, but Tubbo laughs anyway. Tommy drops his hand and then looks up at George again, "You can't be Tubbo's friend anymore, he's my friend now."

Tubbo looks confused, Techno retreats into the house, and Phil just looks tired. "Tommy, you can't tell people that their parents can't be their friends anymore."

"Why not?"

George chuckles, shaking his head, "Again, I don't mind. I'm not his dad, though, Tubbo's my friend's kid. I'm watching him for today, and he wanted to come say hi."

Phil nods. Tommy grabs Tubbo's hand and says loudly, "I'm stealing Tubbo now, you guys are boring!" He drags Tubbo into the house. Phil shouts after him.

"Tommy no—Tommy! Tommy you have to ask f—ah he's gone." The winged man once again turns to George with an apology ready, but George just waves it off.

"Kids."

Phil nods and invites him in.

  
  


* * *

  
  


Tommy drags Tubbo past his other two brothers, briefly introducing them. They're both fox hybrids, one of them is Tommy's oldest brother— a teenager with dark brown hair, his name is Wilbur— and the other is around Techno's age— ginger, his name is Fundy. Tubbo doesn't think it's weird that they're the only two that look related, because no one else thinks it's weird, so it isn't. 

Tommy drags him to his room, which is a chaotic mess of reds and whites. He pulls the smaller blonde to a music player and sits him down next to it. He pats the side of the machine with one hand and holds up the pointer finger on his other hand.

"First rule of being friends with the awesome Tommy Innit, that's me by the way," He starts, "is that you have to pass this test. It's a loyalty test!" It isn't a loyalty test, "so tell me what you think of this!"

He presses a button, and after a few moments, a tune starts playing. Tubbo immediately grins, which Tommy takes as a good sign. 

"That's a good song!" Tubbo says, and Tommy nods.

"Second rule! I am  _ always _ right, I was right about the music!"

Tubbo laughs, "No one's  _ always _ right, Tommy!"

"Well I am!"

"Nuh-uh!"

"Yeah I am! Name one time I wasn't right!"

"When you said bitch! We aren't a'pposed to say that!"

"But you just did!"

"Shhhh!"

Tommy crosses his arms, "And I wasn't wrong about that! Techno  _ is  _ a bitch! Throwing around an innocent child like that, shame on him!"

Tubbo dissolves into laughter, and Tommy stops pouting for long enough to join in. The boys play around for a little while longer before Wilbur comes up the stairs, calling for them.

"Gremlin and friend, Phil and George said it's time for Tubbo to go home now," He says, sticking his head into the room. 

"I'm not a gremlin!"

"You are. Anyway, c'mon, downstairs we go."

Tommy frowns, grabbing for Tubbo's arm again. The two kids follow the oldest brother down to the door, but Tommy doesn't look too happy about it. Tubbo looks a little disappointed and sad, sure, but Tommy just looks pissed off. 

George stands by the door, and Tubbo waves at him, "Goggy I made a friend! Do we hafta go?"

George squats down to their height, and Tommy pretty much pulls Tubbo behind him, "Nuh-uh! Tubbo has to stay, he's all clingy 'n stuff! Won't let go!" Even though Tommy is clearly the one latched on.

"How about this," George starts, "You guys can hang out tomorrow, sound good? Your dad wants to meet Tubbo's dad, so you two can play then, yeah?"

Tubbo nods happily, "Yeah! We can listen to music and everything! Sappa has a music box too!"

Tommy seems to mull the decision over for a few minutes before he finally lets Tubbo go. He crosses his arms, though, his tail flicking back and forth again. "Fine. But we're only playing  _ good  _ music."

Tubbo smiles, gives his friend a hug, and scampers back over to George. "Bye Tommy! Bye mister Phil! Bye Wilbur! Tommy you gotta tell Fundy and Techno I said bye, too!"

"Why?"

"When you say 'bye', you gotta say it to everyone!"

"That's dumb."

"Tommy!" Phil messes Tommy's hair up, "Be nice."

"Tommy is nice!" Tubbo insists, "He's just grumpy."

Wilbur laughs, "Then he's always grumpy."

"Am  _ not _ !"

George says his goodbyes, and takes Tubbo's hand, leading the boy out of the house. They head back across the field with Tommy's complaints fading in the distance. Tubbo swings his arms back and forth, taking George's with him. He hums a tune, the one that was playing on the music box earlier, and he smiles from ear to ear.

George smiles too, happy that Tubbo's made a friend. Two years is too long for a kid to not be around anyone his own age, the brunette thinks. The sun sets in muddy colors, but Tubbo loves it all the same. They stay and watch it until the stars shine bright in the sky. George leads Tubbo inside before any monsters can come out just yet.

Tubbo always looks at the door for a few seconds too long when they come inside, and George knows it's probably because he's waiting for his sibling to follow. Tubbo kicks off his shoes, lines them up against the wall, and heads to the kitchen. 

"Good day, kid?" George asks as Tubbo stands on his tip-toes to grab a cup.

"Yeah!" Tubbo finally reaches the cup, and George grabs some juice (actual juice, not a healing pot) to fill said cup. Tubbo talks and talks and talks about his new friend, and about how much fun the two had goofing around and playing music. 

When the cup is empty, George washes it out (no matter how much Tubbo wants to help, he just isn't tall enough to reach the sink) and sets it to dry. Tubbo heads to his room to get ready for bed, and George promises to be there in a few minutes to say goodnight. 

The man himself takes a moment to just be happy. Now he isn't the one Tubbo calls dad, but he's sure that Sapnap, Karl, and himself all feel a bit like the kid's parents. They're watching him grow up, after all. Sapnap shows him the ins and outs of embracing both sides of himself, Karl was the first one he ever talked to, and George just watched him make his first friend. Tubbo is still very, very small, but he has grown in the past two years. George couldn't be more proud.

Eventually, he makes his way past his room, past Sapnap's, past Karl's (they'd expanded the house, had Karl move in, because it was easier, and Tubbo felt safer), and to Tubbo's. The kid is already in his pajamas and under the blanket, but he's watching the door. His eyes light up when George walks in, and he scoots over quickly. He pats the empty spot and smiles.

George sits down, "Sleep well, okay? I'm here if you need me, remember?"

"Two doors down!" Tubbo nods.

"Two doors down," George agrees, "And Dream and Sapnap and Karl will be back before you wake up, pinkie swear." There's no pinkie interlocking, but Tubbo knows that pinkie swearing on its own is super-duper serious. 

"Night-night Goggy!" Tubbo smiles.

"Night-night, Tubbster, we love you very much." George stands back up, makes sure the blanket is all the way up to Tubbo's chin, ruffles his hair, and heads for the door. 

When he turns off the light, he can see the same old bee night light shining in the dark. Once upon a time, Sapnap told Tubbo that it would protect him from anything bad that could ever happen. The reality was that all four adults would be on call to protect the kid at the drop of a pin, but Tubbo likes bees, so they tell him that bees will protect him.

George hums a bit to himself as he gets ready for bed, and he thinks it's kind of funny, how humming sounds like buzzing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Family dynamics are my favorite, if it wasn't clear before :D
> 
> Fundy and Wilbur are biologically related in this au! They're bio brothers, and Phil took both of them in! 
> 
> Phil's Kids, In Order of Age:  
> \- Wilbur (oldest)  
> \- Techno (second oldest)  
> \- Fundy (third oldest)  
> \- Tommy (child.)


	6. 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sapnap warmth machine go brrrrr
> 
> TW: heavy dad-to-dad conversations, implied/referenced abuse, abandonment talk

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Philza chapter Philza chapter Philza chapter!!
> 
> The kids get a sleep over!!!

Sapnap is pretty sure he's supposed to be on damage control with Karl, watching Tubbo and Tommy outside, but he's also pretty sure that that wasn't the best decision ever, because he and Karl are one hundred percent just joining in the chaos. Currently, they're two v two, with Karl on Tubbo's side. The chaos that Tommy brings reminds Sapnap of the Nether, reminds him of the constant rush of everything, of home, and he swears that if Phil hadn't found the boy first, he would've taken him in without a second thought. He gets the feeling that Tommy is from the Nether, or somewhere similar.

They're playing a game that's somewhere between tag and hide and seek that reminds the Blaze hybrid of the manhunts he, George, and Dream go on every month or so. Some would call it reckless, even with the respawn, but it was a great way to let out energy. Sapnap got to burn whatever the fuck he wanted, knowing that the expansive and empty land would be fixed later on. Besides, fresh soil was always welcome for crops. 

Tubbo trips up a few times, but Tommy always pulls him up before running off so that Tubbo can't tag him. Sapnap, however, tackles Karl with no remorse, because unlike Tommy and Tubbo, Karl is an adult, so Sapnap doesn't have to worry as much. Tommy cheers loudly before dog-piling on top of Sapnap and Karl, the latter of which lets out an exaggerated 'oof' at the impact.

"We won! We won!"

Karl, dramatic, shuts his eyes and declares, "Tubbo, we've been had! It's over for me!" 

Tubbo is not paying attention, because Tubbo is playing with the bees. 

* * *

  
  


Dream and Phil hit it off fairly easily. George is asleep, but Dream assures the winged man that it'd take an explosion to stir the brunette, and that he'd probably doze right back off anyway. Phil appreciates the humor.

"So you're Tubbo's dad, then, I take it?"

"That's me," Dream nods. 

He holds out a hand, which Phil shakes, but the contact doesn't last for long. The two end up sitting at the kitchen table, talking about a wide scope of topics, ranging from Phil giving parenting tips to Dream suggesting ways to get Tommy to actually fall asleep (Sapnap was the same as the little rascal when he was younger, so Dream has some vague experience). Eventually, though, Phil tilts his head a bit.

"Pardon me if this is out of line, but," he starts, "you're human, aren't you?"

Dream nods, confused, "Yeah, why?"

"Did—no, that's not a good way to word it," the winged man hums, "Where did you find Tubbo?" He sounds genuinely confused. "And Sapnap, for that matter?"

The masked man sits there for a moment, like a lagging comm, wondering why Phil would think that to be out of line, before it clicks. It's because the two are hybrids, and this area is notoriously void of anything that isn't wildlife or trees. Human explorers, maybe, but hybrids? No, they tended to stick to proclaimed Safe Zones, there was no reason for Tubbo or Sapnap to be out here, in the middle of nowhere in a house that only recently gained a neighbor.

"Sapnap, uh, George and I found him in the Nether," Dream begins, "We were maybe ten, fifteen, I dunno. Kids running around and doing what they shouldn't, yeah? We found this really old-looking building. It was a fortress, I think, but nothing seemed to go near it, or like, it was abandoned, maybe. We decided that was the best place to play a game of hide-and-seek, but George ran into Sapnap, and Sapnap didn't know what the fuck a human was, and everyone freaked out!" He laughs.

Phil smiles.

"So our game of hide-and-seek turned into me and George running for our fucking lives, but Sapnap trips up, right? And everyone just kinda stops, we wait for him to get back up, and the chase is back on! And it turned into a new game, I think, and we sorta just decided we were friends then. So George and I start heading out, but we can't just leave this dude in a giant crumbly hell castle, so we offered him to come with us, and he did, so here we are!"

Dream finishes his story, hoping that Phil may have forgotten about the Tubbo bit, at least for a while, but the older man is smart.

"I'm glad he chose to come with," his smile is warm and kind, like a father's should be, "I can imagine how hard it would be for him to be alone for all that time, much less for Tubbo to grow up without—" He stops, then, eyes going wide, "Not that you'd do a bad job at all! You're doing amazing raising him, I meant, like, since you're a human and all, and experiences, yeah? Oh this is going poorly, isn't it? Is there a rewind button?"

Dream just laughs, "No, no, I get it! I understand, really! Don't worry about it!"

Phil just about sinks into the floor. Talking to humans was always stressful, but he'd never fucked up that hard. He supposes he's lucky that Dream seems to be kind. There was a reason he moved his boys out into nowhere, and it might've been his own fault, but that is besides the point. 

"Seriously, don't worry, it makes sense," Dream starts, "I'm glad it looks like I'm doing something right! None of us know the first thing about overworld hybrids. Sapnap's been teaching Tubbo what he can, but I'm sure you're aware of the differences between Blazes and lambs."

"Lambs? Like sheep?" It's Phil's turn to be confused. 

"Yeah, I mean, our other guess was goat, but I'm gonna be honest none of us really know what Tubbo is. The note didn't explain much," Dream trails off.

"The kid's a goat hybrid," Phil says easily. "It's common to confuse the two when they're children if you don't know their biological parents, so don't feel dumb or anything. You've noticed his pupils, yeah? Sheep hybrids tend to have more human-looking pupils, Tubbo's are sideways. His ears are bigger, too. Goat hybrids have larger ears, Sheep have ears that are closer to human size." He explains. Dream nods along, mentally jotting the information down.

"Ah—that makes sense. Thanks! That was, uh, that was confusing us for a bit." 

"Not a problem at all! But, you—you said something about a note?" Phil takes on a more serious tone, more concerned. Jeez, it's like the man was built to be a dad.

One of Dream's hands finds the back of his own neck, and he looks off to the side a bit, "Yeah, a note."

Telling Sapnap's story was easy—happy. It was a good memory, one that made their duo a trio long before it was a quad. Tubbo's was depressing. He'd been five years old and left on the doorstep of a house in the middle of nowhere because there wasn't anywhere safer, and the only familiar thing he had (that he sobbed and sobbed about having to clean in the washer, he'd stayed by the entire time, wouldn't let go of it for hours after) was a ratty old bag that was since patched up. Dream shakes his head and begins the story.

"We didn't find Tubbo. He, uh… he was left here. Opened the door one Wednesday and he was just sitting there. I honestly thought he was two years old, but he was five. He was… so fucking tiny, Phil, and he wouldn't let any of us get near him. Closest we got while he was awake was Sapnap, and he was on the complete other side of the couch.

"He was all beat up, and we had to wait until he was asleep to patch him up, but he wouldn't go to sleep, not for hours. I think he would've waited until we fell asleep if he could've. He had this backpack that was about as big as him— still has it, actually— and there was this note in it."

Dream stops talking, then, folding his hands together on the table and staring down at them. This part hurts, it really does, because if Tubbo was only five and looked like that, then he was mortified for the older kid. He hopes they got out. They'd be fifteen now, he thinks.

"...Dream?" Phil asks. The mentioned man shakes his head.

"He's got an older sibling, somewhere. They wrote this note and jammed it in the bag. We don't know their name, but they're eight years older than him. The paper was all ripped up, all we got out of it was that we needed to take care of Tubbo, and if we couldn't, we needed to make sure he could come back here. Phil, that kid, the one that wrote the note," He looks back up at the winged man— Phil is sure he's making eye contact, "they promised to come back for him. I don't know if they ran away or if they're still wherever Tubbo came from. They'd be fifteen now."

Phil is silent, almost stunned. He knows the weight of the implications of the situation. If he didn't have four children of his own to look after, he'd take off right now to find that poor teen and bring them home—  _ here _ . He glances out the window, watching Tommy and Tubbo chase each other around with Sapnap and Karl. He watches Karl get tackled, then dogpiled. He watches Tubbo get distracted by the bees, watches Tommy hop off of the pile to follow the bees with his new friend, watches the adults get up and supervise.

He knows his boys didn't come from anywhere good. He knows he's saved them. He knows that he and each other are all they have. He knows it all, but he can't imagine a situation like Tubbo and his sibling's. He can't imagine Wilbur leaving Fundy with a note and a bag and hoping for the best. A brief, small part of him wants to be angry, but the feeling is less than short-lived. He's filled with such melancholy at the thought of a thirteen year old knowing that all they can do is get their baby brother out. He wants to cry for them, honestly.

"That's awful," Is all he can say, really, all he can whisper. "I'm so sorry."

Dream shakes his head once more, and when Phil looks back, he can feel the determination radiating from the man. "Don't be. They're as much of my child as Tubbo is, and I'll take them in as soon as we find them."

Phil nods. "Good man."

* * *

When Sapnap trudges in later, he's carrying all three of the people he'd been outside with. Karl's on his back, and Tubbo and Tommy are each under an arm. All are asleep aside from the Blaze hybrid. He's grinning, and he knows damn well that his radiating heat is keeping them comfortably asleep. The household had a joke; who needs blankets when you've got Sappa?

George is still down for the count, has been all day, so Dream and Phil are the only ones to greet and laugh at Sapnap. Phil agrees to let Tommy spend the night, so Sapnap deposits both boys in Tubbo's room. Dream tucks them in, since Sapnap's still carrying Karl, who literally will not let go of the warm man. Phil is convinced he's still awake.

Nightlight checked once more, they head out of the room, where Sapnap makes himself at home on the couch. It takes ignoring every fiber of his being to not just crush Karl in the process. Mercifully, he swaps the brunette to his front, no matter how hilarious it would've been to just sit on the man. 

Phil heads back across the field with the promise that Tommy sleeps like a rock, and that he'll be back tomorrow to get him before he wakes up. Dream turns in for the night, and Sapnap decides that since he can't pry his friend off, he'll spend the night on the couch again. The things he does for his friends.

* * *

His boys asleep, Phil paces his living room, and makes a note to keep an eye out for any goat hybrids in his travels.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Reminder that all of this is platonic!! There will be jokes about marriage/dating, but it's strictly joking and will be portrayed as such!!! 
> 
> That being said!!! Are you really homies if you don't carry ur bro inside and fall asleep on a couch with him?


	7. 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Phil doesn't think he was made for playing detective.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi! Did you notice the tags being updated?   
> You guys aren't going to like this one :')
> 
> TW: implied kidnapping, breaking and entering, minor flashbacks

Tubbo is eight when he's left alone for the second time—  _ really  _ alone. He'd fallen asleep with his door open and Karl playing music in the living room, but when he wakes up his door is shut and he doesn't hear any music. He knows something is wrong already, at eight years old, because his door is never ever shut, and it's still dark out.

He can't hear anything in the house, when he can usually hear someone breathing if he listens close enough. No amount of straining his furry ears brings a result. He's scared. Tubbo scoots out of bed quietly, still in pajamas, and heads to his door. He's still so small, so stunted in his growth, that he has to reach up for the doorknob. Tommy can reach it easy-peasy, he thinks.

The house is dark and scarily cold when he steps into the hallway. Dad and Sappa and Goggy aren't back from their trip yet. Honk is supposed to be here, but the hall is all messy and he's nowhere to be seen. Tubbo walks out into the bigger part of the house, but all he finds is a bigger mess. The door's open, and there's glass on the ground. He puts his shoes on, because Dad said that broken glass hurts and that Tubbo should be as safe as he can be around it. 

He stands on a chair to get the lights to come on, but no matter how many times he flicks the switch, the room stays dark and cold. So he does the only other thing he can really think of: he goes outside to cross the field.

Tubbo isn't supposed to go outside at night, because there's zombies and skeletons and creepers and spiders and all sorts of things that want to hurt him, but he doesn't want to wait until morning for them to go away. Really, he just wants a hug and Honk, but he doesn't have either of those, so he's going to go to Tommy's house, because that's his second family and he knows that at least one of the five has to be over there, and (with the exception of the ever-anxious Technoblade) someone there could give him a hug and help him find Honk.

He's lucky to be so small, Tubbo thinks, because nothing sees him as he darts across the long space between his and Tommy's houses. It's not all dark in their house, Tubbo can see a light further inside the house, so he knows someone's gotta be home. He clambers up the steps and tries not to think about being left on them again. He reaches up and knocks on the door, but this time there's no Goggy to hide behind.

Tubbo knocks again when he doesn't get an answer. And again. And again, again, again, again, and his eyes are watering because,  _ oh god, he's really, really, really alone this time _ . By the time Phil opens the door, Tubbo's in tears. The winged man instantly picks him up and holds him close.

"Tubbo? Tubbo, it's okay, it's okay kiddo, I'm here," Phil rubs reassuring circles into the child's back. When Tubbo stops crying, he shuts the door and quickly walks into the living room. He sets Tubbo on the couch and glances at the clock.

It's two in the morning. "What's wrong?" Phil asks quietly. He can't stop the wave of dread he feels, because Tubbo is alone, and rule number one of the neighboring household was to never let Tubbo be alone.

"Honk's gone! 'n it's dark 'n messy, 'n it was scary! I don' wanna be all alone!" Tubbo tells Phil, and the wave of dread turns into a hurricane of fear. Karl always takes his job of watching Tubbo very, very seriously.

"Okay, okay," Phil starts pacing, thinking. "Let's get your shoes off, you can stay here tonight. I'll tell your dad to come home, okay?"

Tubbo nods. He's sleepy again, because crying takes a lot out of a stunted child, and it's so early, and he's still scared. He tugs his shoes off and curls into the corner of the couch like he had three years prior in the other house. Phil finds a spare blanket and drapes it over Tubbo. He only has to wait a few minutes for the kid to fall asleep.

Everything in Phil's body is telling him that something is very, very,  _ very  _ wrong. His pacing increases as he pulls out his comm tablet.

**_Philza:_ ** _ You three need to get back home now, it's an emergency. _

**_Philza:_ ** _ Tubbo came over on his own and he says that Karl is gone and the house is a mess. I haven't gone over to check yet. Tubbo is safe with me here _

**_Philza:_ ** _ He's sleeping on my couch right now, but you need to come back now. _

He sends his messages faster than he thinks he's ever typed before. He's sure that if he'd typed any slower, the onslaught of messages would've interrupted him.

**_Dream:_ ** _ what do you mean gone _

**_Dream:_ ** _ where is he _

**_GeorgeNotFound:_ ** _ sapnap's building a portal asap _

**_Sapnap:_ ** _ @KarlJacobs @KarlJacobs @KarlJacobs where are you _

**[ Error_msg:** user not registered  **]**

**_GeorgeNotFound:_ ** _ what does that mean _

**_Dream:_ ** _ what the fuck what the fuck what the fuck _

**_Sapnap:_ ** _ Karl this isn't funny @KarlJacobs @KarlJacobs @KarlJacobs where are you _

**[ Error_msg:** user not registered  **]**

**_Philza:_ ** _ I'm going to get Wilbur to watch the house, I'm headed over to see what I can find _

**_Dream:_ ** _ @KarlJacobs don't do this to us, dude, where are you _

**[ Error_msg:** user not registered  **]**

Phil slides the tablet into his sleeve, letting the overworld work it's magic in making it disappear. He takes the stairs three at a time, barely touching them and more gliding up them. He's at his eldest son's door before he can really process that he's moved down the hallway. Wilbur opens the door before Phil realizes he's knocked.

"Phil? It's," The now-young-adult (he's only 18, only 18) looks back into his room at a glowing alarm clock with a yawn, "like two am. What's— what's wrong?"

Phil places a hand on the fox hybrid's shoulder, "Wil, I need you to be awake right now, okay? I know it's early, but we've got a bit of an emergency at the moment. Are you awake?"

Wilbur's eyes widen and he nods quickly, "What's going on?"

"Don't wake any of your brothers up, but Tubbo's on our couch right now. I think someone broke into Dream's house earlier. Tubbo's asleep now, but we don't know where Karl went. I'm going to go check it out and see if I can find anything."

"What?" Wilbur hisses, somehow more alert than before. Just as Tubbo's claimed this household as his second family, Wilbur's added him to his seemingly ever-growing group of little brothers. The four men raising him are considered family as well, and he's reasonably shocked at the information.

"What do you m— is Tubbo okay?" His tail swishes apprehensively back and forth as he questions his father figure. 

"Tubbo is safe, he's asleep," Phil repeats, "I just need you to watch him and the boys until I get back, alright? If any of them wakes up—" Phil's not sure what to do if his boys wake up.

"If any of them wake up, message me. You know I'm not going to be too far away. If I go any further, I'll tell you, alright?"

Wilbur nods and follows Phil downstairs. He sits down on the couch, the opposite side of Tubbo, and keeps an eye on the door as he watches Phil leave.

"Wait— Phil?"

The man stops, "Yeah?"

"Be safe."

Phil smiles and nods, and then he's out the door.

* * *

  
  
  


The house is dark, just as Tubbo said. Phil's lucky, able to see perfectly in pitch black places. The door is busted, and glass litters the ground by two windows. Almost none of the furniture is where it's supposed to be, and some part of Phil is glad that Tubbo was asleep through it all. Another part is undeniably afraid of what took place.

Books are on the floor instead of on their shelves, anything that was on the table in the living room has now been strewn across the room. The table itself is on it's side, as if used as a shield. Phil looks down the hallway and sees scratches along the walls. The mess continues as he carefully steps through the home. He feels like he's been thrown into a bucket of ice cold water when he sees that the scratches continue onto Tubbo's door. 

As much as he knows that Tubbo was scared of his door being shut, Phil can't help but be glad that it'd been closed. He guesses that Karl shut it. The man had a good head on his shoulders, despite his outwardly childish demeanor, and Phil has no doubt that he'd shut the door to keep Tubbo safe. 

Phil ends up in the kitchen. Utensils are absolutely everywhere, and a few sharper forks and knives are embedded in the walls. With a shudder, the father reminds himself that he hasn't seen any blood yet. He's taking all of the good signs he can get right now, because things are not looking good. 

Drawers are half or entirely open, and he can spot a cabinet that looks like it's hanging on by only one hinge. There isn't much glass in here, surprisingly, but Phil looks down when he hears something crunch underfoot anyway. 

If what he felt earlier was similar to hurricanes or ice buckets, Phil has no idea how to describe how far his heart drops when he moves his sandal to see a portion of broken screen. He falls into a squat, picking up the shards. Shakily, he pulls out his comm tablet and holds it next to the broken bits.

**_Philza:_ ** _ I think I figured out why we can't get ahold of Karl. _

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So you know how Karl isn't too active in the SMP storyline, and how he's only now starting to show up in events irl? He wouldn't leave his friends to fight a war, so I had to come up with a reason for why he wasn't there :)
> 
> Don't worry, he's not dead!!!! He's just gonna be gone for a bit :(
> 
> On another note: did you guys like the little parallel between Tommy, Tubbo, Wilbur, and Phil there with the 'be safe'? :]


	8. 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sapnap doesn't get scared. Dream doesn't get scared. George just wants to sleep it all off.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi!!! I'd like to preface this with saying that Phil is fine and the only parallel was the words spoken!!!!   
> Karl will return safely, but I can't say when :]
> 
> Also none of this is beta read and my best friend atm is spell check and autocorrect 😔👍
> 
> TW: implied kidnapping, breaking and entering, characters that don't usually get scared are getting scared

When the trio bursts through the hastily constructed Nether portal half an hour later, Phil is there waiting for them. Sapnap is the first through, and Phil knows why. Hybrids make connections much stronger than humans usually do, a sort of bonding, so to say, and when one messes with a hybrid's family, it rarely goes well (no matter how docile they may be). He can tell by the blazing golden eyes and the heat rolling off of Sapnap in waves that the man is not having it right now. 

George follows seconds later, all crooked goggles and furrowed brows and worried frowns. He's relatively singed, but not burnt. Sooty, for the most part. Dream is the last through, pretty much entirely in-tact. His body language tells Phil all that he needs to know: the man is doing his best to stay calm, but the trembling of his hands gives it all away.

"Comm tablets don't just break, Phil, they never have! It's impossible, and you know it!" Sapnap is the first to speak, "So where is he?" 

Phil doesn't have an answer that he hasn't already given, so he simply holds out the shards of the comm tablet. He's compared them with his own over and over, just to be sure. He's right. Sapnap snatches the bits from Phil, almost cradling them in his hands. George leans over, readjusting his goggles.

"That's…" The Brit almost trails off as he physically feels Sapnap cool down to a frighteningly human temperature, "That's not a full tablet. It's only a few shards, right? He could— he could still have it with him. Karl's smart, he could fix it! He could— he…"

Dream glances at the shards, at Phil, at the broken down door, at George and Sapnap, who have both gone uncharacteristically quiet. Finally, he looks across the field to the house that he knows his son is staying in. Phil watches as the young father heads to the house. He doesn't stop him, but turns his attention back to the other young adults. 

He's never thought much of it, but they're all not that much older than his eldest son. They're in different stages of their twenties, but all still fairly early in. He wants his wings to be large enough to shield them all from the world, from whoever or whatever took their friend. He's only got one reassuring thing to say about the whole situation, other than Tubbo being safe.

"I didn't find any blood."

George's shoulders lose a bit of tension at that, but not much. 

"Your rooms weren't touched as far as I know. The doors may be a little scuffed up, but I think," Phil pauses, not entirely sure he should be saying this, "or at least I'm pretty sure that Karl made sure whatever happened didn't get too far down the hallway. As far as I'm aware, the only reason he went there was to shut Tubbo's door."

Sapnap nods absently and George looks over at the home. He grabs his friend by the sleeve and heads inside. Phil follows.

"The lights aren't working…" George notes, flipping the switch a few times. Sapnap holds up a finger, a bit of flame igniting at the tip. "Oh, thanks, Sap."

Sapnap shrugs. He reaches under his t-shirt to stuff the shards into his hoodie pocket, and heads further into the house with a huff. Claw marks maw the walls and ground, not helping the growing dread in George's stomach.

Sapnap explores the house with a deep frown. He gets to the hallway and runs his non-ignited hand across the deep gouges. Phil is right; there's no blood. That doesn't stop him from being worried. He opens Tubbo's door and finds his room to be untouched. Dream's is the same, George's is the same, his own is the same. He pauses at Karl's door, hand hovering over the handle. It takes him a moment to realize why.

He's afraid. Sapnap, arguably the most brash of the quad, Sapnap, who screamed second-loudest, Sapnap, who sets fields ablaze for _fun_ , is afraid, and he doesn't even know why. He knows Karl won't be behind that door, but the thought that he might be scares him.

What if Karl's been in the room all along, injured or unconscious or worse? Sapnap reminds himself that if 'worse' happened, Karl will respawn in a matter of hours, wake up in his bed like he never left, and be safe. He steels himself and opens the door to an empty and quiet room.

The fire on his hand flickers when he sees the splinters of a bed frame and ripped blankets lying around the dark bedroom. He doesn't remember how far they wandered from the natural resawn point.

* * *

Dream knocks twice before Wilbur opens the door. The younger looks tired, but he lets Dream in anyway. He's perfectly quiet, barely making a sound as he leads Dream to the living room. Tubbo is still fast asleep on the couch curled under a dark blanket. Dream carefully sits on the couch next to his son, and nods at Wilbur.

Wilbur takes that as both a thanks and a signal that he was okay to head back to bed (not that he's sure he'll get much more sleep). 

Dream carefully picks Tubbo up and sets him in his lap. The kid sleeps like a fucking rock, but he still isn't risking it. Right now, he just hugs the small eight year old close and silently thanks whoever is out there that he was kept safe. On the same token, he swears he'll end whoever put his kid in danger and stole his friend. 

He sits there in the dark, cradling his boy, staring at the wall, for almost another hour before the door creaks open. One hand flies to the sword at his side while the other holds Tubbo tighter as Dream snaps his attention to the door. When he sees that it's only Phil (followed by George and Sapnap), he relaxes again. His housemates join him on the couch a moment later, setting some bags down.

George, ever the people-reader, says, "Phil's letting us stay here until we fix the house up." He explains quietly.

Sapnap reaches over to carefully mess up Tubbo's hair, just making sure that he's safe. Once he's finished checking, the hybrid kicks off his shoes and pulls his legs up to curl into a ball. George follows in taking his shoes off, but simply crosses his legs. Both lean on either side of Dream, and he gets the feeling that they didn't find anything good. 

He glances at Phil, who tries for a smile (the poor guy is always doing his best to make sure his boys are alright, and Dream supposes that his little family qualifies as his boys, too, at this point) but it ultimately doesn't reach his eyes. Dream is half tempted to check his comm tablet to see if a death message showed, but he brushes that urge away, because he knows that if Karl had died, George and Sapnap would not be here right now, and would rather be chasing down whatever hurt their friend. And Dream himself would gladly follow, he adds. Besides, they'd wait in the house for him to materialize again.

Phil walks over with another blanket, carefully tossing it over the three adults' shoulders, "Get some rest, you three. I can set up the empty room for you all when it's light out, alright?" 

Dream nods, Sapnap hums in agreement, and George is already dozing off. Sapnap tugs the blanket just a little tighter around on his end, so Dream checks to make sure that George still has some blanket. When they're all as settled as they can be, Sapnap finally starts to droop a bit, eventually falling asleep like George. 

Dream wonders for a minute how his tiny family got like this. First, he was just living his life in an unpopulated area, chosen specifically so that he, George, and Sapnap especially could let off steam, chase each other around, burn shit, occasionally cry without neighbors hearing, and even more rare, lower a mask without getting weird looks. 

Then, Tubbo had shown up. How many years has it been? Dream takes a moment to think— only three years, but it feels like a lifetime. Almost four, he thinks. Then the house became a permanent residence for George and Sapnap as well, a little home. 

Karl visited frequently to help out, but eventually Sapnap had suggested building on another room, since they were already doing that for George. Within the next few weeks, he'd moved in and the small family got just a little bigger.

Only for two years, though, Dream thinks. He frowns and scoots himself a little deeper into the couch and his friends. They have to find him soon. Dream's always been good at tracking— George and Sapnap even better at it— so he'll head over tomorrow and see what he can find, or ask the others what they found. For now, he tucks his head down and resigns himself to sleep.

* * *

Dream wakes up to tapping. He lifts his head up and Tommy scurries backwards, falling on his butt with an 'oof' of surprise. 

"…Told you not to bug him…" Techno drones from the other side of the room.

"Fuck you!"

"Do the dishes tonight 'n I won't tell Phil you said fuck."

"You wouldn't—"

"Phil!" 

Dream drops his head back down and pretends to fall back asleep, grinning behind his mask at the kids.

"Wait, wait, wait, Tech, I'll do them, I'll do them!"

Phil walks in, "Yes?" 

Techno points over to the couch. George is predictably still asleep, and it looks like Sapnap is as well. Dream hopes his faking works. Tubbo is awake, but barely. The kid is wiggling around a bit, like he's trying to roll over and go back to sleep.

"Dream's awake. Think he's fakin' bein' asleep, though," The teen yawns, and then leaves the room. Tommy flops down on the floor at the relief of not being told on, because at eight years old, that's one of the scariest things he knows.

Dream lifts his head back up, "Well, I tried."

Phil laughs in the way that only fathers can, and heads over to Tommy. He picks the boy up, "Don't bug our guests, Tommy."

Tommy crosses his arms with a pout and squirms around until Phil lets him down again. Tommy then goes right back to bugging the guests, naturally. By now, Tubbo is more awake than before, but still bleary. Tommy pokes him until he wakes up more.

"Tommy what did I just say?"

Tubbo eventually rolls over with a grumble, but when he realizes that his friend is here, he snaps awake, clambers off of Dream's lap, and the two run off. Fundy, ever the wonderful and merciful older brother, makes sure to trip Tommy up just a little bit. Not enough to fall, of course, but enough to trigger a chase. Phil makes a noise that's somewhere between a laugh and a sigh.

"Sorry."

"It's fine," Dream says, a grin still on his face below his mask. "Tubbo probably needs the distraction, honestly." Phil nods.

"We found residue of silence potions around his room and doorway," Phil sits in a nearby chair, "so at least we know he didn't hear anything, and nothing heard him. I know it would've been useful, but I'm glad, yeah?"

Dream nods quickly, understanding. His kid already had enough bad dreams (they were luckily dying off as time wore on), and he didn't want him to have to deal with more. 

"There is some… bad news, though," Phil grimaces, and Dream tenses.

"What is it?"

"I hadn't checked the bedrooms since none of the doors looked like they'd been broken in," He starts, folding his hands, "but after you'd left to check on Tubbo, those two and I went in again. Smarter than me, it seems, because they checked the rooms. I thought that the last place Karl'd been with whatever it was was in the kitchen, since that's where I found the shards. It might've been his room, though, since someone closed the door. A window was broken and the glass was outside, so I assume that's how they got out, but Dream,"

Phil's frown deepens as he looks at the masked man, "Do you know how far this place is from natural respawn?"

Dream swallows air, "Very."

Phil nods, "Dream, Karl's bed was destroyed. If anything happens to him, he won't be coming back here first."

The masked man's eyes widen, and gears are already spinning in his head. Why would the bed be broken if everyone else's rooms were fine? What wanted Karl enough to change his respawn point? And why? None of it made sense. It just didn't make sense. It was too far out of field for any possible explanation to solve it. 

"If anything happens would we even know?" He murmurs, "The tablet— it's broken. Would a message even show up? Phil, what if something already happened?"

"I— I'm not sure. I'm sorry, but I don't have an answer for you right now. I'll be doing my best to look out for anything out of the ordinary. I just needed to fill you in on what we found."

Dream sinks further into the couch and carefully pulls his friends closer to himself. Looking out of one of the windows, he can see Tubbo, Tommy, and Fundy running around outside. 

"Alright. Alright. We can figure this out."

Phil nods quietly, and sits there for a few more moments. He gets up and heads to the kitchen, and Dream can hear some rustling. Wilbur trudges down the stairs and heads to the kitchen as well.

Dream drifts off once again to the smell of pancakes and the warmth of his friends. This will work out. It has to.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't have school today and it's only 11:30 am, so I'm gonna be writing some more, so the next update will either be later or tomorrow!!
> 
> Fun fact: none of this is pre-written and my grades are suffering, but I Do Not Control The Hyperfixation :')
> 
> So that respawn point, huh?


	9. 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Where is he?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> KARL INTERLUDE!!!!
> 
> THIS IS INSPIRED BY AO3 USER Potato Child WHO CAME INTO THE COMMENTS OF THE LAST CHAPTER WITH AN EPIC IDEA!!!
> 
> I personally don't think I did it much justice, since if I went as far into the plot and detail as they did, I'd spoil the rest of the story, but I tried!!!!
> 
> TW: very vague mentions of injury and nausea, implied kidnapping

He isn't sure where he is. All he knows is that it's cold and everything hurts. How did he get here again?

His head hurts. His side hurts. His arms and legs hurt.

He rolls onto his side and pushes back a wave of nausea, using an arm to prop himself up. Vaguely he registers that the sleeve of his hoodie is shredded (his arm isn't much better off). A quick glance shows that the rest of it is as well (he doesn't check underneath). He wonders why he isn't freezing.

It's so, so, so cold, but he isn't shivering, he isn't uncomfortable. It's a welcome feeling, he thinks. 

Eventually, he sits up all the way and looks around. All he sees is a white wasteland and harsh snowfall. He's never felt so awake than he does now, as everything comes back to him. 

_ Tubbo.  _ He wonders if the kid is safe, if he did his job right. He hopes that Phil or Wilbur heard something, but knows that they probably didn't. Too much distance between the homes.

He looks to the side and sees a large lump, buried by snow, next to him. He raises a hand to his own head (he ignores how it shakes, because he knows it isn't from the cold, and he doesn't want to look) and brushes off a thick layer of the frozen water. Rolling onto his knees, he starts brushing snow off of the lump as well.

It suddenly moves on it's own, and he scrambles backward on his hands and half-asleep legs. It stands, and he's not sure what it is, but it's huge, and he only gets a second of warning before it's shaking off the snow, flinging it everywhere.

It's large, hairy, and he would compare it to a giant wolf-like… thing… or a beast from one of Tubbo's bedtime stories. 

Or, Karl thinks, as he stares at giant golden eyes, an old friend.

"What the honk…?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The next full chapter should be up either later today or early tomorrow, but I'm banking on tonight!!! 
> 
> Once again, full credit for the Karl Interlude goes to Potato Child, please please please go read their comments!!!!! They're so good🥺🥺🥺
> 
> Side note: just because no one found blood doesn't mean he didn't bleed
> 
> Also??? Vague lore for why his hoodie is made up of so many different colors????? Man rlly didn't want to just get another hoodie cnnzndnncs


	10. 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sometimes you have to wait for the muffins to bake.
> 
> Or: Tubbo doesn't like this change, but he'll figure it out with some help.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> BBH :]
> 
> Tubbo does not think very :] of BBH moving in :(
> 
> No trigger warnings for this chapter (but please tell me if there should be!!!)

Tubbo is nine when Bad moves in. It's been one full year since Karl's gone missing, and while Tubbo knows that Dad and Sappa and Goggy and Phil and Wilbur need help watching him and the others while they look, he isn't happy about it. He knows Bad, and he knows that he's a nice man, but he can't just walk in and replace Honk.

Tubbo spends the first few days avoiding Bad, even when all the guy wants to do is make some muffins for the family and make sure he stays safe. When Dad, Sappa, and Goggy leave on their monthly hunt-slash-search, Tubbo hides in his room. He doesn't close the door, and he never ever will, but he hides in the closet anyway. It takes Bad about five minutes to find him.

"Aw, kiddo, why are you hiding?"

Tubbo doesn't reply. He's decided that he won't talk to Bad, so he simply stares at him, baby blue eyes meeting blank white. He would cross his arms if they weren't already crossed over his knees. He's not glaring, exactly, but his stare isn't super welcoming either.

Bad frowns, and sits on the other side of the closet door, looking in, "What's wrong, Tubbo?" He asks, and Tubbo only feels a little bad about not answering.

"Do I scare you?" Bad sounds genuinely concerned, but Tubbo still doesn't answer. 

"Do you miss your dad and his friends?" Tubbo doesn't want to answer, but he nods just a little bit at that.

"They'll be back in a day or so, I promise! And look, I'm here with you!" Bad is all smiles and happiness, but Tubbo just makes a face and digs his chin into his arms. He doesn't take his eyes off of Bad, who visibly deflates.

"Do you want to play a game?"

Nothing.

"Want a muffin?"

Nothing.

"How about seeing if Tommy wants to play?"

Tubbo immediately nods. Bad stands up with a smile and holds a hand out to Tubbo, but Tubbo stands up on his own and pushes past Bad to run to the door to get his shoes. He knows he shouldn't be rude to Bad when all he wants to do is make Tubbo happy, but Tubbo can't forgive him for trying to replace Honk just yet. He shoves his feet into his small shoes as quick as he can, because he doesn't want Bad's help, and only waits because he knows Phil will worry if he shows up alone again.

That doesn't stop him from running ahead of Bad. He gets to the door first and waits until Bad is close enough that whoever opens the door will know that Tubbo isn't alone before he knocks. He can hear Tommy running for the door, and when his friend opens the door, he gives him the biggest hug he can.

"Tubbo! Dad, Tubbo's here!" Tommy yells excitedly. The small demon hybrid looks up at Bad and frowns, "Also mister Bad!" He adds to his sentence. 

Now, Tommy doesn't personally have anything against Bad, but he knows that Tubbo doesn't like him, and Tommy's pretty sure he's known Tubbo for longer, so it's his job to protect the smaller boy. So if he gets to frown at people for him, Tommy's glad to do it. 

He drags his friend inside without actually saying anything to Bad, but he leaves the door open anyway. Tommy and Tubbo disappear upstairs while Phil actually invites Bad in. Bad frowns a little, but ultimately gets distracted by conversation and perks back up.

* * *

Tommy and Tubbo hole up in Tommy's room for the most part. Tommy plays his music, and the two talk and play games and laugh loudly. Tubbo doesn't remember his sibling clearly, but he guesses that this is what having one is like. He decides that Tommy is his brother now, since they're all family.

"Then I call being oldest!" Tommy declares.

"Why?"

"Because I'm taller and better, duh!" Tubbo laughs at Tommy's response, knowing that only the first part was genuine. 

"I could be older than you!" Tubbo points out. 

"You don't know that!" Tommy argues, and it's true, "Plus it makes sense if I'm older! Big brothers protect their little brothers!"

"Ooh, yeah!" The smaller blonde agrees easily with a nod. 

"That means I get to make all the faces I want to at mister Bad."

Tubbo frowns a bit, and if Tommy scoots a little more between the door and his friend, neither of them say anything. 

"What's wrong? You got me!"

Tubbo crosses his twig-like arms and pouts quietly, "Bad is moving into Honk's room."

Tommy gasps like that's the worst thing that could ever happen, like someone's died instead of moved in, "He can't do that! That's not his room! I'd get in so much trouble if I tried stealing Fundy's room!"

"Uh-huh! 'n Dad's okay with it! And so are Goggy and Sappa!" Tubbo is dangerously close to crying, eyes welling up with large tears.

Tommy, ever the comforting best friend-brother in the world, says, "They're assholes!"

It's enough to stop Tubbo from full-blown crying. Which of course means that Tommy curses more and more until they're both laughing so hard that Wilbur pokes his head in to make sure they're getting enough oxygen. The fox hybrid ends up sitting in the room as well, making sure his brother and pseudo-brother don't do anything too crazy. He makes no remarks about language.

Unfortunately for Tubbo, the time soon comes where he and Bad have to go back across the field. He lapses back into silence as soon as he can see the man, and Tommy takes his job of glaring very, very seriously. Techno is hiding somewhere in the house, not willing to even come into Bad's line of sight, while Fundy is lounging on the couch and Wilbur is leading the two youngest boys to the door to say their goodbyes.

Phil waves Tubbo and Bad off while making a note to talk with Tommy about his glaring-at-Bad issue later. 

* * *

When they get home, Tubbo takes his shoes off as quickly as he can and runs back to his room. Bad frowns at this, and stays in the living room area of the home. He decides not to push his luck, because if the little boy doesn't like him, there isn't much he can do. Well, he could always make muffins, and see if that helps.

With a renewed smile of determination, Bad heads to the kitchen to do what he thinks he does best— make muffins that can cheer even the most brooding souls up. He takes special care to duck his head when he passes the threshold into the kitchen, narrowly avoiding smacking his forehead and horns on the doorway. 

As he searches for the ingredients, he wonders if that's why Tubbo avoids him. Maybe Bad is just scary (he isn't). He can't really blame the kid, but he wonders if he could do something to change that. He could stand to dress a little brighter, he supposes, but he soon realizes that every time he's tried to do that, he just gets pulled right back into the dark reds and blacks that just ring comfort.

Dressing brighter might not work, Bad decides, stirring the batter and preheating the oven. Maybe it's just his height? Or the horns? He can't really change that (trust him, he's tried). He could ask Sapnap for help, maybe, but that idea goes out the window as well. His friend is already pretty busy, probably too much so to teach his secrets. Then again, Sapnap's 'hiding the hybrid part of him' secrets tend to rely on simple long sleeves and layers of clothes. Occasionally some calming techniques to ensure that his eyes don't flare out in the fiery way Bad has seen sometimes.

He slides the muffins into the oven, sets a timer, leans on the counter, and thinks. He doesn't look like most hybrids he knows, and it's pretty obvious. Too tall and evil-looking. Even Tommy, who's part Demon as well, looks kinder! That might just be because the kid is, well, still a kid, so Bad doesn't think that's a very good comparison. 

Bad doesn't know too many Enderman hybrids, but he's sure they don't look too similar to him. Maybe some glowing eyes and height, but he doubts that the purple-black skin is a dominant gene. Most are part human, after all. Bad supposes that he is as well, but it isn't like anyone would ever guess it.

He's drawn out of his thoughts by the oven beeping, signaling a possible chance at redemption in Tubbo's eyes. Quickly, the tall man takes the muffins out. He's glad for the demonic aspect of his being, if only for the reason that he doesn't have to look for oven mitts. 

When he sets them out to cool, Bad hopes that Tubbo will come out. He waits for the kid, but a few minutes turns into half an hour, then forty-five minutes, then a full hour. He frowns and takes a now-cold muffin in his hand, walking to Tubbo's room.

"Tubbo? I brought you a muffin, kiddo," He ducks into the room. Tubbo isn't in the closet again, rather in the corner of his bed. He stares back at Bad, and Bad wonders if the kid has a mean bone in his body (Tubbo didn't glare, but Tommy sure did— enough for the both of them). 

Tubbo doesn't move as Bad walks in and sits on the edge of the bed, so he assumes that Tubbo isn't _scared_ of him, per say. He sets the muffin on the bed in between them, but otherwise keeps his distance.

"Now I know you're not supposed to eat in your room, but I also know that you don't seem very happy today, so you can eat your muffin in here, just this once," Bad smiles.

"It can be our little secret, see?" He holds out his pinky, "Pinkie swear to not tell Dream, or Sapnap, or George, or even Phil!"

But Tubbo doesn't reach out. In fact, he looks like he's going to cry. Big, unshed tears from earlier make their way out of his eyes and down his face, and it isn't long until he's full-blown bawling, and Bad has no idea why.

He pulls his hand back immediately, opting to raise his hands gently in front of him, "Tubbo? Tubbo, what's wrong, buddy? Are you okay? Did I say something?"

And Bad knows that Tubbo is a sweet little boy, and has had conversations with him before moving in, but he can admit that it hurt when the first thing the kid says to him since then is, "No, go away!"

Bad thinks his options through: he can stay and try to calm Tubbo down further (that might just aggravate him more, though), or he can leave and let him calm down on his own. He decides that leaving the kid to calm down is probably the safer idea, and he gets up slowly to leave. 

"Okay, I'm gonna let you calm down for a bit here, alrighty? I'll be in my r—" 

"No, you can't go there!" Tubbo doesn't yell, he never has, but he sounds almost angry. Not quite, but close.

Bad decides that talking Tubbo through this might help a bit, since he is supposed to be here for the next day or so alone with the kid, and if Tubbo doesn't trust him, things could go badly. So he asks, "Why can't I go there? Do you want me to stay?" In what is probably the most calm and sympathetic, yet confused, tone known to man.

"No! That's Honk's room, 'n you're not Honk! You can't go there!" And it all clicks.

Tubbo thinks that Bad is trying to replace Karl. Bad carefully sits back down, hands in his lap. He understands Tubbo's behavior, or at least some of it, now. It makes complete sense that he'd be upset about Bad moving into the room of someone who'd helped raise him for two years when they haven't even figured out if Karl was alright or not.

He lets Tubbo cry until he's out of tears, and only moves his hands in order to scoot the muffin a little closer towards the kid.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Bad asks softly. Tubbo sniffles a bit, carefully picking up the muffin. He shakes his head rapidly.

"That's alright, you don't have to. Would it make you feel better if I stayed in the living room tonight? Tomorrow we can both go sit in Karl's room for a bit. I promise not to move anything around, so when he gets back, all we'll have to do is switch out the clothes, sound good?"

Tubbo thinks it over for a moment or two, and then nods slowly, "No pinkie promises." 

"No pinkie promises," Bad agrees. He's not sure why the action had set Tubbo off, since George makes pinkie promises often, but he doesn't want to upset him again, so he makes the mental note to not do it in the future. 

Bad stays until Tubbo finishes the muffin, and carefully takes the wrapper out of his hands. He doesn't really want to walk all the way back out to the kitchen, because he doesn't exactly want to leave Tubbo all alone in the quiet, but he doesn't know how to cheer him up.

That is, until he glances at his own hands. He's struck with an idea.

"Do you want to see something cool?" 

Tubbo looks up at Bad, and nods again, "Okay." 

Bad smiles, waves, and disappears in a short burst of reddish-purple particles. Less than a second later, he stands in the middle of the room rather than sitting on the edge of Tubbo's bed.

"Ta-da!"

Tubbo gasps quietly and sits a little bit more forward. Bad smiles, and teleports to just in front of the doorway (if he wasn't so darn tall, he might have teleported underneath of it). Tubbo gets up and patters over to where Bad used to be. Bad teleports out into the hallway, and Tubbo runs once again to where the Enderman-Demon used to stand.

It becomes a sort of game, Bad teleporting and Tubbo following. It doesn't last that long, though, since they make it down the hall and to the kitchen pretty fast. Bad starts to put the extra muffins in the fridge, but Tubbo snatches one before he can close the door entirely.

"Oh! If you wanted another one, you can ask, Tubbo." 

Tubbo shakes his head and holds it up to Bad, standing on his tip-toes, "'s for you. I'm sorry for being mean and yelling at you."

Bad feels a little, well, bad, but leans down and takes the muffin anyway, "You don't need to say sorry for being upset, Tubbo. You're allowed to be mad at people, as long as you don't hurt them, okay?"

Tubbo nods carefully, "Okay. Sorry Tommy made faces at you so much."

"Oh kiddo, that's not your fault. Tommy likes making faces."

Tubbo giggles at that, and runs back to his room. It's late out, and as Bad munches on his muffin, he wonders what else he can do to make the transition smoother. He has high hopes for his plan, the goal being to show Tubbo that the room will stay the same for when Karl (Honk) returns.

Muffin wrapper in the trash can and Tubbo in bed, Bad heads back down the hall to turn the lights off and make sure that Tubbo knows he's out in the living room.

"Love you, you little muffin! Sleep well!"

Tubbo waves back, and Bad heads to the living room. It takes a bit of curling up for him to be able to fit on the couch comfortably, but that isn't anything new to him. For a while, he just stares at the door to make sure nothing comes through it.

Drifting off, Bad thinks that he's doing a good job with what he's got.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> THIS IS SO FAR THE LONGEST CHAPTER, AT SIX AND A HALF PAGES!!!
> 
> Tubbo does come around, don't worry, but I'm sure you guys can imagine the emotional distress at a new person moving into the room if someone who isn't supposed to be gone :(
> 
> As of right now, I have no plans to add the ongoing events to the story, as I now have a plan for it!!! 
> 
> BBH: (does morally questionable things in terms of picking sides in the SMP)  
> Me: I do not see it


	11. 11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tubbo learns to trust (again).

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> THIS ONE IS A REAL CHAPTER—
> 
> BBH joins the family for real :D
> 
> This would've come out earlier, but MCC was today so :] 
> 
> TW: very brief implied/referenced neglect/abuse

When Tubbo wakes up the next morning, Bad is still out in the living room, asleep and dead to the world. If anyone in their household had anything in common, the winner would probably be George, Bad, and Tubbo being able to sleep through anything.

It's almost afternoon, and Tubbo's hungry, so he heads to the kitchen. He manages to open the fridge and grab a muffin before heading to the table. He's still too small to be able to sit at the right height in one of the chairs, so he simply climbs up and sits on the table itself. He crosses his legs all neat, like Dad.

He's a really good climber, he thinks. Phil says it's because he's part goat! Tubbo wonders if that's why he's so small. He's never actually seen a goat in real life before, but Dad shows him pictures sometimes. They're small, from what he can tell. 

(He doesn't think for even a second that he's this small because of malnutrition stunting his growth, and why would he? He rarely tries to remember anything from before waking up on the couch here. To him, anything before the age of five and a half simply doesn't exist. At least, for the most part.)

Tubbo thinks for a bit about what he's got to do today: let Bad into Honk's room. Let Bad _stay_ in Honk's room. He frowns, finishing his muffin. He doesn't want to let Bad go into Honk's room. The only people that are allowed in there, Tubbo thinks, are Dad, Goggy, Sappa, and sometimes Tubbo himself. There aren't any rules about it, but that's how it's been going so far, and he doesn't like the idea of someone going in and actually spending the night there.

Well, apart from the first night back at the house once it was fixed. One by one, they'd all ended up in Honk's room on the new bed, all piled up and waiting. Tubbo would poke his head in every morning for a whole month, just in case. Then he spent the night at Tommy's, and wasn't able to check, so it turned into a bi-weekly thing, and slowly pattered out into a once a month thing. He still doesn't like thinking of looking in and finding someone else there.

Scooting off of the table, Tubbo lands perfectly on his feet. Some days, his balance is horribly thrown off, but Dad's been teaching him how to jump around and land safely, so he knows he'll be okay. He heads to the trash can, deposits the muffin wrapper, and decides that he'll wait for Bad. Hopping down the hall, he makes it to Honk's room.

He can reach the handle of the door easier now, so opening it isn't as difficult a deal as it used to be. Tubbo flicks the lights on and hopes, somewhere, that Honk is in there. He isn't, of course, and Tubbo knows that he wouldn't be, but it was still disappointing. The room is just as it had been left, aside from the window and bed.

The glass in the panes had been replaced, and a new bed had been made to take the place of what was splinters and shreds of fabric. Tubbo climbs onto year-old purple sheets, swinging his feet over the edge. They haven't been changed yet, but he knows that they will be. Honk likes bright, booming colors (even if he can't always tell which is which), and Bad likes dark colors that swallow the light. Tubbo doesn't want to watch the neon room to become all shadow-y. 

He's not sure how long he waits there before Bad comes and knocks on the door, awake. 

"Hey kiddo, is it okay if I come in?" 

Tubbo thinks for a second, looks around, and nods slowly. Bad teleports in, because while he could walk in, he wants to keep Tubbo in as high spirits as he can. Tubbo stares at him blankly for about a solid minute before scooting over and patting the bed. Bad smiles and sits down next to him.

"How can I help with all of this, Tubbo?"

Tubbo shrugs, "I dunno."

Bad nods, and they lapse back into silence. They sit there, swinging their legs back and forth for a while before Tubbo speaks up again. 

"You're not Honk."

"I'm not." Bad agrees. He wants Tubbo to know that he isn't trying to be Karl, that he would never try to replace someone that important.

"'n you're not Dad or Sappa or Goggy," Tubbo continues, "You're Bad. So if you sleep here, it's Bad's room."

Bad nods quietly.

"But if it's Bad's room, then it's not Honk's room anymore," Tubbo frowns, "and then there's no more room for Honk…"

"Oh kiddo," Bad carefully reaches an arm around Tubbo's shoulders, and the kid doesn't immediately shove him away, which he takes as a good sign, "There's always room for Honk."

"Nuh-uh, 'cuz there's no more space!" Tubbo buries his head in Bad's side. Bad doesn't want to pull the kid away, but he has to, if only for a few minutes.

"There's always space, right here!" Bad taps Tubbo's chest, "In your heart! You remember Honk and love him very much, right?"

Tubbo nods quickly, "Uh-huh."

"And you'll never ever forget him?"

"Never ever!"

"Then there's always room for him, forever and ever!" The adult smiles.

Tubbo seems to be turning gears in his head, thinking and processing. He nods slowly, then faster. He lets go of Bad and hops off of the bed, dashing to his room. By the time Bad has stood up to follow, Tubbo's running back in with something clutched tightly in his tiny fist.

He clambers back onto the bed while Bad sits back down. Bad supposes that he's on the approval list as Tubbo moves his arms and climbs into his lap. He holds his hand up, opening it carefully. In it, one of the shards from Karl's tablet sits. 

"You can't have it, but this is part of Honk's screen. Sappa said we should keep the bits, so we all got one of 'em. They're super special so we have to keep 'em safe, but I wanted to show you, 'cuz you're in his room now." 

A cool feeling worms it's way into Bad's chest at the same time a warm one does. He's astounded that he's gotten Tubbo to trust him and open up so quickly, but at the same time it breaks his heart that all the kid has left of one of his parental figures is a shard of something previously unbreakable. He's honored to be trusted with the information of it.

"You keep that as safe as possible, okay? So when Karl gets back, you can help him fix his screen, right?" 

Tubbo nods rapidly. They talk for a bit more before Tubbo gets back down. This time, he walks back to his room to put the shard away. Through his rambles, Bad learns that Dream has enchanted one of Tubbo's drawers to act as an ender chest. The kid is too young to have a comm tablet or a full ender chest just yet, too young to be fully registered, but Dream can get away with a few things. 

Speaking of his masked friend, Bad notes that it's coming up on two days that he's been gone. He knows that his friends will be back either late tonight or some time the next day, and all he can really do until then is hope that this burst of trust from Tubbo lasts— or even better, stays.

* * *

That night, Bad tucks Tubbo in, says his 'goodnight's and 'we love you's and 'I'm right down the hallway's and heads out to the couch. He tucks his legs up and snuggles under the blanket in fresh pajamas and warm coziness.

He's almost entirely asleep when he feels something poking his shoulder. Groggily, he lifts one eyelid to see what's up— it's Tubbo. He's standing there expectantly, and continues to poke Bad until he's more or less awake. The man sits up with a yawn.

"What's up, Tubbo?" He murmurs, not exactly willing to be awake at the moment. Tubbo grabs his hand and starts pulling.

"Follow me."

"Okay, okay, I'm following," Bad pulls himself to his feet and trudges after Tubbo, who's pretty much dragging him down the hall. 

He hits his head on a doorway, feels around for it, and ducks under before he realizes where Tubbo's taken him. He's standing in Karl's room. Tubbo drags him over to the bed, lets go of his hand, and pats it.

"You can sleep here now," Tubbo says.

The kid is back in his own room before Bad's sleepy mind catches up with him. It sort of shocks him, really. He knows that Dream said that Tubbo got attached quickly, but he didn't think it'd be this quick. Not with how it went at first. 

He sits on the bed and dwells on it for a little while longer, a smile stretching across the void of his face. He flops onto his side and tugs the bright blanket around his too-long body and dozes off again.

It's a wonderful feeling, being trusted. He swears he'll never break that.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've decided that after each 'year section's (every two chapters) there will be a Karl interlude until he shows up! So look forward to that either later tonight or some time tomorrow!!!
> 
> That being said, the implication here is that Karl doesn't show up for a while :( sorry
> 
> But! How are we feeling about BBH trust chapter? Hoping this one raises your guys' spirits a bit!!


	12. 12

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> At least the snow is nice.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Karl interlude :]
> 
> TW: vague and brief mentions of injuries and scarring

Karl likes the snow, he decides, loves it, in fact. He's gotten past wondering why he never got frostbite, why he never got cold enough for it to hurt, despite wandering around in t-shirt and shredded jeans that only really counted as pants if he was careful not to rip them up any more. 

He'd tied the remains of his hoodie around his waist, and used what couldn't be salvaged as bandages.

The snow makes him feel more alive, and the cold makes breathing feel even more natural. He walks, and he walks, and he walks.

His wounds heal over the year, and he nudges his friend and jokes about tiger stripes. His friend is not as amused as he is, but still grunts in acknowledgement.

"C'mon, you can't just hide food around and expect me to be able to find it! I have like, six braincells, dude!" Karl laughs. His friend reveals where he's hidden the food.

They play games like this, hiding and finding. They evolve into more challenging events as they get bored— who can lay in the snow the longest (Karl), who can run down that hill the fastest (the beast), who can spot a village first (the beast).

Karl's herded into the village without much of a choice, and when he wakes up on his second day there, his friend is gone.

The village doesn't acknowledge that he was ever there.

Respawn point finally set, Karl decides that now is as good a time as any to learn where he's been for the past year.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Karl interlude baybeeeeee 
> 
> Once again, the idea of these interludes came from Ao3 user Potato_Child!!!!


	13. 13

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dream hates seeing his kid in pain, but he hates not being able to do anything about it even more.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi! Pain owie! This one is gonna hurt!!!  
> Also I haven't watched the Nov. 16 event yet!!! I'm getting to it, but I'm posting this first!!!
> 
> TW: blood, detailed depiction of injury 
> 
> (Skip the paragraph that starts with "George is not a squeamish man." to avoid the detailed depiction of injury. That's the only paragraph that describes it, there are mentions of blood in other parts of this chapter though.)

Tubbo is ten when he wakes up crying.

His head _hurts_ — it hurts so, _so_ , so much, and he can't make it stop. It's still dark outside, but he can't go back to sleep if he tried. He tries holding his head where it hurts— just above his ears— but all that does is make it hurt _worse_. He cries, and cries, and cries, and at some point he sees the lights turn on. They hurt his eyes, and he buries his head into his pillow, because even if that hurts, it's less than the light. 

Dream is at Tubbo's side within a breath, trying to assess what's gone wrong. It couldn't have been a nightmare— Tubbo always goes right to Dream when those happen. Panic attack? Maybe. 

"Tubbo? What's wrong— are you okay? Can you hear me, kid?"

When Tubbo looks up at his dad, Dream prays that this is all a— well, a dream, because he never wants to see his son's eyes as filled with pain as they are now. Tubbo clings to Dream, who doesn't know what else to do than hug him and whisper that it'll be okay (he doesn't know if it'll be okay— he doesn't even know what's happening, all he knows is that his little boy is _hurting_ and he can't do _anything_ ).

Sapnap is the second one in, following half a minute later even if it feels like half an hour. George and Bad are still fast asleep, but there's no doubt that they'll be shaken awake soon.

"What's going on?" Sapnap takes long, quick strides to reach Tubbo's bed, sitting next to Dream with tight eyebrows and tense shoulders.

"I—" Dream never hesitates, ever, but right now is a different story, "I don't know. He's hurting, Sap, I don't know what's wrong."

Dream hasn't bothered to get his mask, and Sapnap can't blame him. It's barely three in the morning, and they've both been woken up by Tubbo sobbing. There are more important things than covering scars, in Dream's opinion. Exposed green eyes are pooled with uncertainty and fear: two emotions Dream rarely expresses. 

He rocks back and forth with Tubbo held close, trying to calm him down, but Tubbo just keeps crying. Sapnap's hands over, he doesn't know what to do either. He goes through everything he can think of, because Dream is definitely panicking and doing his dad thing, so Sapnap is probably the only one awake that can think clear enough to try to help. When Dream raises a hand, brushing through Tubbo's hair and Tubbo _screams_ , it clicks.

Dream pulls his hand back like he's burnt the boy, and he seems to panic further. He doesn't want to hurt his son— that's a worse nightmare than anything he's ever done or gone through, he thinks. Sapnap sets a heavy hand on his shoulder.

"Hey, hey, breathe. We can't help him if you're panicking, dude, okay??” Sapnap says, loud enough to be heard over Tubbo’s sobs, but not any louder, not wanting to panic Dream, “I need you to let go of him, okay?”

Dream does not want to let go of his son. He can’t stand to see the boy in pain, and if he’s honest, he’s close to tears himself. Tubbo has gotten hurt before, sure, been sick before, but nothing this bad. He’s never added to the pain, accident or not, and he’s scared that moving Tubbo will hurt him more. Still, Sapnap trails his hand down and slowly pries Dream away from the child.

“Just like that, see? It’s gonna be okay. Slow, slow, you two are doing great. Focus on me, okay? Breathe.” 

Five minutes later, Sapnap has Dream and Tubbo separated. Tubbo’s wails fade into hiccups, before stopping altogether abruptly. He's passed out, and honestly Sapnap is surprised he's been awake as long as he has.

"Sapnap— Sap he stopped— Sapnap oh my god—"

"Dream, Dream, breathe, he's gonna be okay, I p—"

"Sapnap holy shit he's _bleeding_!" Dream shrieks. 

Sapnap looks down and sees just that. Twin streams of blood make their way down Tubbo's face, thin at first but easily growing. The red mixes with still-wet tears, and Sapnap knows he can't do this by himself.

"Shit—" He curses, turning back to Dream, "Dream, focus, listen, okay? I need you to get Bad. Just go get Bad, okay? That's all you need to do for me, alright?"

Dream does _not_ want to leave Tubbo here, even less than before. He shakes his head adamantly, "No, no I'm not— I can't just leave him here Sap, he's hurting! My son is in pain, I can't— I can't leave him!"

Sapnap pulls his lips into a thin line and nods. He won't be getting Dream to leave Tubbo. He pulls out his comm tablet and spams Bad in rapid succession, hell, even George, because he needs one of them up and functioning right now. 

_**Sapnap:** emergency, tubbo room, now_

"Dream. Listen to me, you need to focus, okay? Follow my breathing. Follow Tubbo's if it's easier. See? He's breathing. It's going to be okay." Sapnap ignores the blood soaking down into Tubbo's sheets. He knows it's just because it's a head wound (it isn't a wound, he knows), but the blood still unnerves him coming from someone so small.

It takes five minutes of the spam messaging and instructing Dream's breathing before Bad is in the room. He hasn't taken the time to walk, simply teleporting in to avoid wasted seconds.

"I'm here, what's wr— Oh my muffins is Tubbo okay?!" Bad notices the blood and the unconscious child immediately, "Oh dear, is Dream okay?!" And then Dream, who while not as panicky as before, is still freaking out.

"They're going to be fine, listen, I need you to either get Phil or watch these two while I go get him. Dream isn't leaving Tubbo, and Tubbo's in," Sapnap pauses, "a lot of pain."

"Okay, you answered those questions, but what happened? Why are you letting him sit there and lose blood, Sapnap? How long has it been since he started bleeding? When did he get hurt?"

"Bad, slow down, you're gonna freak Dream out more. Tubbo is going to be fine. He's a goat hybrid, remember? Horns."

Bad comes to a full stop, both relieved and concerned at the same time. He reaches a hand up to his own set of pointy bones and wonders how much it hurts to grow them. He was born with his, and he's sure Tommy was, too. The only person he knows who'd grown their horns was Skeppy, and Ores couldn't feel pain, so even then, he was out of luck. 

"Okay. Okay. And you're sure he'll be fine?"

"Eventually, yes, but right now we need to get Phil. You're the only one here with horns and I thought you might know something about this, but I no longer think you do, so we need to find someone who does."

"Right, right," Bad isn't upset by Sapnap snapping. It's completely understandable in the situation, which would be one unconscious and bleeding child, and one panicking father, "I'll go, I can get there faster."

Bad doesn't wait for Sapnap to reply before he teleports away. 

* * *

Bad B. Halo considers himself to be a very polite man, who knocks on doors and waits for someone to answer. And he would love to be polite, and kind, and thoughtful right now, but he ends up in Phil's room all the same. He just about scares the man out of his skeleton when he shakes him awake.

"Who's th— Bad?" Phil is all sorts of groggy and confused, but Bad simply nods. 

"I'm sorry, I know it's late, but we've got a bit of an emergency on our hands," Bad starts as Phil shuffles out of bed to flick the lights on, "What do you know about horns growing in?"

Phil pauses, "Bad. What exactly is going on?"

"I'm not entirely sure, Phil," Bad's shoulders slump, "I don't know what's going on. I woke up because my comm wouldn't stop buzzing, and all Sapnap said was that I needed to get to Tubbo's room because there was an emergency. He said something about horns growing in, but the poor little muffin was passed out, and there was blood, and Dream was freaking out, and—"

Phil mercifully holds up a hand, "You can stop there, I think I know what's happening. Can you teleport two people?"

Bad jerks his head in a nod.

"Okay. Give me two minutes to get what I need. It's going to be okay. Tubbo is going to be fine."

Phil's voice is sturdy and calm, so Bad simply nods again and trusts him. He follows as Phil wakes Wilbur up (the poor man was cursed with being the eldest) and informs him of the situation. He says they'll be back before the other boys wake up, but to watch them if they do anyway. Bad waves at the young adult and continues following Phil around.

As soon as Phil's got what he needs (first aid kit, gauze, numbing potions, more that's passed too quick before Bad can tell) he sets a hand on Bad's shoulder and nods. The two disappear in seconds.

* * *

George was not expecting to be shaken awake by his ex-roommate at three thirty in the morning, and he's a little pissed about it. That changes the second he processes his friend's expression, though, and he's up in seconds. Sapnap drags him to Tubbo's room before he can grab his trademark goggles, but he sees Dream (and holy shit, he's not wearing his mask—) and decides that if both of them are missing something they wear daily without fail, this is big.

His eyes land on Tubbo seconds later, and he can't quite process what it is he's seeing. The ten year old's face is covered in blood, snot, and tears, and he's got a screwed up expression. George can tell from this distance that he isn't awake, and probably won't be for a while. Not even a minute later, Bad and Phil are in the room. Phil doesn't look particularly phased for someone who's just been displaced in space, but that's probably for the better.

The eldest quickly and gently shoos everyone but Dream away from Tubbo. George is sure that's because he physically cannot move the unmasked man. He sets to work immediately, cleaning off Tubbo's face and checking for anything extra. Then, with hands so careful that even George at the doorway can tell they are feather-light, the man brushes hair away from Tubbo's ears. 

George is not a squeamish man. One of his monthly activities is chasing Dream down to see if he can kill the man, for fuck's (sorry, Bad) sake. He's died more times than he can count, and bled enough for ten men, witnessed more. Still, when he sees what looks like shards of bone digging its way out of Tubbo's skull, complete with ripped, flapped skin underneath the boy's hair, he feels like letting go of whatever food he'd eaten earlier. He turns his head away quickly.

When he looks back, Phil is wiping up whatever blood he can (it's still flowing, slow, but still coming) and pouring some sort of potion onto a towel. He carefully dabs the towel around both sides of Tubbo's head, and George can see the boy's face go from pained to completely lax. 

"Numbing." Phil explains shortly as he works.

Some well-wrapped and placed bandages later, Phil leans back. He nods back at Dream, who carefully scoops his son back up. Not once does Dream take his eyes off of the boy, rocking back and forth and whispering things George can't hear from this far. The goggle-less man quietly spins on his heel and heads down the hallway.

He dips into his own room and grabs his goggles, placing them firmly over his eyes. He heads further down the hall into Dream's room and plucks the familiar old white mask from his bedside table. He heads back down the hall and walks into Tubbo's room.

He heads over to his friend and silently places a hand on his shoulder before handing him the mask. Dream finally tears his eyes away from his son and looks up at George. He's got an unreadably relieved and pained expression, and George simply looks at the wall. He's not as good with emotions as his friends, so he just pushes the mask toward him again. Dream takes it with a grateful nod, only letting go of Tubbo for a second to slip it on before wrapping his son back up in his arms.

(He doesn't buckle it correctly, doesn't care to. His kid is more important right now.)

Bad and Sapnap come back toward the bed, and with a bit of maneuvering, all five adults plus Tubbo are sitting on the small bed as Phil explains.

"He's growing his horns. It's going to hurt for a few days, but not as bad as tonight. That's not to say that it won't hurt like hell—"

"Language." (Bad's murmuring, not really wanting to interrupt, but still, there's a child in the room, unconscious or not.)

"—but it won't be bad enough to knock him out again. That being said, it might be easier for him to be asleep for it. If you want, I've got some sleeping potions around, and we can try to keep him down for the first days. I brought some numbing cream with me, but that takes more time to set in than the potion. He's going to bleed, and there's going to be a lot of it. I think the worst is over now, but they'll continue to grow until he's around fifteen to seventeen. They stop hurting once the base is at its full diameter, but will continue to grow outward. Chips in his horns won't heal, neither will they if they snap. It's like wood: you hit a tree with an axe and the dent doesn't go away, it's part of them now."

Dream nods along carefully as Phil stands up, "He'll be okay, I promise. I know it's hard to watch, but it has to happen. I know how much it hurts to watch him in pain, trust me, it doesn't get easier. You're all doing really well. He's very lucky to have you," Phil smiles gently.

"Thank you," Dream starts, not quietly, but soft, "Thank you so, so, so much."

"Hey, anything for family." 

Phil walks back to his house, denying Bad's offer to teleport him back. The family of five stays crowded in the youngest's bed, surrounding him and keeping an eye out. Dream scoots down, laying carefully with Tubbo on his chest. He doesn't want to let his kid go right now, and none of his friends can blame him. He's Tubbo's only parent, but Tubbo is their kid, and they don't want to see him hurting (even if they know they have to. They can look out for him, at the very least).

One by one, their eyes droop and they fall asleep. George is the first, predictably, with Bad following. Sapnap tries to keep his eyes open as long as possible, but he only makes it to the first days of sunlight before he's out, too. Dream makes it until thirty minutes after sunrise. 

Tubbo won't wake up for a while, still wrapped in his dad's arms and under the unfortunate influence of incapacitating pain, but he can feel the presence of his family. He'll be okay.

He'll be okay.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi!!!  
> I'm scared to watch the smp war, but here we go!!!  
> Anyway, this one hurt to write :(  
> Dream just wants his boy to be okay :(  
> And a few of these lines are gonna come back when we get to the L'Manburg war :(


	14. 14

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tubbo wakes up, and Wilbur sings with his brothers.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HI THIS ONE IS SHORT. THAT'S BECAUSE I WRITE THESE USUALLY THE DAY THEY'RE POSTED, SOMETIMES I START THEM THE NIGHT BEFORE, AND I'VE BEEN READING AND RE-READING A BRANCH-OFF OF THIS STORY THAT AO3 USER Potato__Child WROTE CALLED "This Wasn't Planned, But I've Seen Worse" ALL DAY AND HAVE BEEN THINKINNNNNNGGGGGG
> 
> that being said
> 
> TW: very very very vague implied abuse

Tubbo is kept asleep through the use of potions for another three or four days. In that time, the horns have grown their way out enough that Phil declares the worst of it to have passed. He's been changing bandages and administering numbing pots and creams every afternoon for half a week, and Dream can't be more grateful.

Tommy's been pushy, running across the field every morning to sit by his friend, permission be damned, but no one can really blame him. So they let him stay the last night, setting him up on the couch with lots of blankets. They find him sprawled out on Tubbo's bed with him the next morning.

When Phil shows up without the sleep potion, Dream really refuses to leave his kid's side. He's been in the room most of the time anyway, but now he won't leave at all. Tommy sits at the end of the bed, staying still for once in his life. He stares at his sleeping friend with big, blue eyes, waiting for similar ones to open. 

The two wait for hours, jumping every time Tubbo rolls over. Overall, Tubbo waking up isn't too eventful. In fact, he fakes being asleep for around ten minutes before he realizes he isn't going to doze back off. He sits up and rubs at his eyes with heavy hands, but only gets that space to himself for a split second before his best friend slash brother comes crashing into him.

"Tubbo!" Tommy shrieks with joy, latching his arms tightly around the tiny blonde.

"Tommy!" Tubbo responds with a scratchy voice, weak from disuse. He hasn't needed his words during the four-day technically-a-coma time period, so it makes sense.

Still, it hurts Dream's heart, and he pulls his son and son's friend into a hug. Tommy is significantly harder to cradle than Tubbo, the child sprouting in height. He had to be as tall as his brothers by now, and if Dream didn't know the boy, he'd guess he was sixteen instead of ten. Either way, he holds both boys in his arms and silently prays that he never has to see either of them in that much pain ever again.

"Wait, dad," Tubbo gasps suddenly. He cranes his neck to look up at Dream, "Sorry for waking you up! I forgot t' say that yesterday!"

Dream pauses for a moment, and even through the mask, Tommy catches the signal to not say anything about the amount of time passed.

"Hey, you don't have to apologize for that, Tubbster. It wasn't your fault," Dream says carefully. 

Tubbo's always apologized, and every time, he looks like he's scared it won't be accepted. Even now, five years since he's taken the boy in, Dream can see the small signs of fear. When he spots Tubbo letting go of that small bit of tension, it eases his heart a little. He hugs his boys a little tighter.

He knows that Tommy isn't his son, but with how close he is to Tubbo, he might as well be family, as Phil's said. They're one family on two sides of a field, but it's like that grassy knoll doesn't even exist. Tommy watches out for Tubbo like they're years apart in age rather than both being ten. 

Tommy nods rapidly, "Yeah! 's not your fault at all, little T!"

"Little T?"

"You are incredibly small, Tubbo. I could stand on you, you're so small."

Tubbo laughs at his friend, taking his reasoning in stride. They chat for a while longer until Dream lets them go. With a grin of his own, he heads out to the kitchen to grab some water for Tubbo. Thinking that the kid is probably hungry too, he grabs some bread. He sends a message to Sapnap, George, and Bad, telling them that Tubbo was awake, and not to say anything about the four days to him when they come back.

They weren't going very far, just out to gather some more supplies, all reluctant to leave Tubbo, but knowing it was necessary. It wasn't exactly easy living in the middle of nowhere. Technically, only George and Sapnap were getting supplies. Bad was helping Wilbur watch Techno, and Fundy, since Phil and Tommy were over at Dream's house.

Dream comes back to the boys laughing and playing around. He can tell that Tommy's making sure that Tubbo stays in bed, though, as they giggle. Tubbo's horns are about an inch long, sharp and off-white. The base of his horns is about the width of a small tool, Dream thinks as he sits back down and hands Tubbo the water.

Tommy reaches for the bread loaf and breaks it in two, handing half to Tubbo and chowing down on his own half. They boys chat for a while longer until Tubbo notices something. With a wide smile, he shakes Tommy's shoulder and points back and forth at his and Tommy's heads.

"We match!"

* * *

Wilbur tunes his guitar, sitting in his room with his little brother, thinking. He strums a few chords and watches Fundy fiddle with a keyboard, testing out different keys.

"Furrball," Wilbur starts, "what if we built our own house?"

Fundy stops, ears flicking up at attention. He'd gotten most of the genes from their parents, looking more like a red fox that had just decided to walk on two legs, as opposed to his older brother, who simply got reddish-brown ears and a tail. 

"What do you mean?"

"It's just an idea, don't worry, but what if we made a little house a little bit away?"

Fundy pokes at the keyboard, focusing on it more, "I mean, it sounds cool, Wil, but I'm not sure. Phil's been nice to us, and I don't wanna hurt the guy's feelings, yeah?"

"I get it, and that's fine. I wasn't gonna act on it. Just one of those things you have to say out loud to get it out of your head, you know?"

Fundy nods. Once they've gotten their instruments all figured out, the two start playing a strange melody. Neither of them have a single clue what they're trying to play, but they like playing guessing games with the notes, building songs like an improv scene in a theatre class.

Fundy hopes that Techno can hear it through the walls. The poor guy had shut and locked his door the second he spotted Bad crossing the field. Fundy's pretty sure he'd heard furniture being dragged in front of the door as well. He plays a little bit louder for his brother.

Wilbur sings about girls, the river, and building a town to raise a son that doesn't exist. Fundy sings about the forests and fields, midnight, and beasts with shining white teeth. They sing and play music about anything and everything, a theraputic jam session for the two fox hybrids.

Eventually, they hear a bit of rustling from the room next door. A window opens, then a knock. Wilbur sets his guitar down and scoots to his window, opening it so that Techno can clamber in. Their pink-haired brother sits in the corner of Wilbur's bed, back pressed between the wall and the headboard.

Wilbur leaves his window open and moves back to the guitar. He and Fundy keep playing, and eventually Techno taps the wall in rythm with their songs. Somewhere along the line, Fundy locks the door. Techno's older than him, sure, but he still wants to make sure he feels safe. He likes his weird family, he'd do anything for them.

Bad sits in the living room and listens to the brothers' music and wishes he wasn't so scary.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please please please please go read "This Wasn't Planned, But I've Seen Worse" by Potato__Child I'm begging you please please pl—
> 
> Karl's yearly interlude will be up either tonight or tomorrow, hoping for tonight!!!  
> I'm so excited to write year eleven you have no idea,,, like the Big Stuff starts happening in year twelve, but I really just wanna write in the next upcoming character (maybe characters plural, but that's not decided yet)
> 
> * Wilbur is playing An Ode To L'Manburg, and Fundy is playing In The Woods Somewhere


	15. 15

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Karl misses home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Karl interluuuuuuuude  
> Homesick :(
> 
> TW: none

Karl loves this village, but he knows it isn't home.

The people are wonderful, they help him heal properly (snow can't fix everything, unfortunately), they show him magic, _real_ potion making, and they tell him who he is easily. He's a child of the cold, not quite human— a hybrid, likely one with a family line of recessive genes. Snow Ore, they say, and Karl didn't even know Snow Ores existed!

He knows Iron ones do, protecting almost every village he's ever come across. He knows Diamond ones do, protective of only one (rarely two) person, unlike their Iron cousins who protect masses. But Snow Ores? He wouldn't expect that, not with the name literally being _Ores_. 

He's heard weirder, he guesses.

They tell him that heat will make him groggy and lethargic, that with enough time in the cold he could learn to make very, very small snowstorms of his own, summon full Snow Ores, that if he climbs high enough, he can make his own snowy town.

He only focuses on the first part, though, for a long, long time. He doesn't want to learn magic, learn how to be flurrying and icy. All he thinks is _Oh, that's why it's so easy to fall asleep with Sapnap._

And that's all he thinks of for the next half year: how much he misses home. He finds scraps and patches and slivers of colorful fabric, slowly adding them to the hoodie that might as well be string now. Every time he fixes up a bit, he ties the thing around his waist and goes on a walk.

He still wears that thin, white t-shirt, patches the holes in his jeans. The villagers don't give him strange looks for dressing so light in a world where it's worrying for the snow to stop for an hour. They're all hybrid, after all, they don't find it weird.

He tugs at the hoodie, only a sleeve fixed so far. There isn't exactly a surplus of fabric sources in the mountains, so every bit that he finds, he treasures. If he walks far enough out of the borders of the town, the beast will come and wait for Karl with bits of what it thinks will help.

Karl sits in the snow and waits for his old friend to show up. A while ago, he came to the conclusion that said friend was cursed. The beast doesn't get angry around Karl, but he finds that it's pupils shrink to pin pricks around more than one person, that it gets enraged, and that it _regrets_. 

Maybe he'll let the villagers teach him magic, Karl thinks. Maybe he'll be able to help his friend, to make it back _home_ , and maybe he'll wear his hoodie when he comes back. Looking down at frayed ends and hearing lumbering steps, Karl sighs.

It'll take forever.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Karl nonhuman moments except people probably already guessed it ;)
> 
> I cannot wait to write the next chapter, I am literally buzzing with excitement
> 
> ALSO THIS FIC IS OFFICIALLY 59 PAGES LONG!!! ALMOST 60!!!!!
> 
> * I'm calling golems 'Ores' in this fic, as golems are important to Judaism, and I recognize that and do not want to add to any antisemitism while writing this story! Ores do the exact same thing as they do in-game, but with a bit more lore!!
> 
> Iron Ores protect masses of people, such as villages!  
> Emerald Ores protect specific places, and do not care about other mobs.  
> Diamond Ores only ever really get attached to one person in their lifetime, and protect that one person, such as a king or a close friend!! 
> 
> Skeppy (who isn't gonna be super in this fic, but might be brought in in the future) is a Diamond Ore hybrid! You probably know who he protects, but since he's a hybrid, he doesn't have as strong of an instinct to be on guard 24/7 and is probably pulling pranks somewhere cjntnfjrndjsj


	16. 16

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Technoblade is not made for babysitting.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> T??? This one??? Ended up being seven pages long????? I??????
> 
> New character tag :]
> 
> TW: panic attacks (not in detail, portrayed as freezing, mentions of crying), vaguely implied/referenced abuse

Tubbo is eleven years old when Techno is left to watch him. Wilbur, Fundy, and Tommy are with Phil, and they'll be gone for a day. Tommy was upset about having to leave Tubbo behind, but ultimately had to be dragged along. Something about an appointment. Wilbur and Fundy were there for the ride.

Dream, George, Sapnap, and Bad were all on the hunt, as they called it. It's a way for Bad and Sapnap to get out pent up energy (Tubbo doesn't need to release any like they did— he doesn't have any powers to speak of) as well as a way for the four of them to look for Karl. Nostalgic for Dream, Sapnap, and George, and an overall stress-reliever. 

So Tubbo is sitting on the floor of Techno's room as the almost-young-adult-but-still-sorta-a-teen sharpens a few different axes and swords. He watches with a mix of boredom and interest, eventually speaking up.

"Can you teach me how to fight?"

Techno stops, holding his whetstone midair, another stroke just finished, "Why?"

"Dad's been teaching me how to be fast and dodge and land and stuff, but he won't teach me how to fight," Tubbo explains, an ear flicking as he scratches an itchy part of his head.

"That's dumb," Techno's monotonous voice replies, "Why would he teach ya how to dodge 'n all without teachin' you t' fight?" He sighs, continuing to sharpen the last axe.

"Yeah!"

The conversation seems to end there, with Tubbo going back to watching Techno take care of his weapons, and Techno not batting an eye at the question, but not answering it either.

Most of the day goes by like that until Techno stands and heads to his closet, "Not sure I have anythin' that'd fit ya, but," and he pulls out actual, 100% authentic armor.

He shuffles around the closet for a few moments longer and pulls out a suspiciously small pair of golden wrist bracers and shin guards. He tosses them on the floor by Tubbo.

"Try those on."

So Tubbo does, sliding the bracers over his hands. Techno helps belt them around his wrists correctly, and then shows him how to buckle the shin guards correctly. Tubbo copies him carefully, and soon he's more or less suited up. Techno hands him a helmet made of iron (it's got holes for horns, and Tubbo wonders why Techno has it). The Piglin hybrid puts his own armor on, Tubbo once again copying from example.

Techno squats down to double check that all of Tubbo's minimal armor is secured correctly, and then stands, placing a hand on the boy's head. Tubbo's grown some, but he's still easily the shortest in the field. 

"Take this." Techno hands him a dagger. It isn't anything fancy, probably made of iron, and the handle is simple wood, but it's a weapon nonetheless.

"Why?"

It's only now that Techno realizes he hasn't actually said anything to the kid about what they're doing. And also that he's forgotten to tie his hair up before he's out on his helmet. He unbuckles his chinstrap, removes his helmet, and gets to work on his hair.

"We're goin' to the Nether, duh."

Tubbo almost drops the dagger, fumbling, "What?" He asks with wide eyes.

"The Nether. I know a spot that's good for trainin', and you wanted t' be trained, so we're goin' to the Nether," Techno says like it's the most obvious thing in the world.

Tubbo lights up, a wide grin splitting his face. Techno finishes putting his hair up (a high ponytail, because truthfully he can't be bothered to braid it or put it in a bun) and slips his helmet back on. He rummages around once more and produces a sword, examining it and belting it to his side.

"Gimme a second," Techno pulls out his comm tablet.

_**Technoblade:** taking tubbo out, be back before you guys, just letting you know_

He slides it away without waiting for any responses, "'kay, c'mon kid."

Techno heads out of his room and down the hall, Tubbo jogging after him. They make it across the field and to the portal by Dream's house without any conflict. Techno smirks, pulling out a bit of flint and a bit of steel.

"Tommy's gonna be so pissed that I took you here before him."

"Does he have to know?" Tubbo points out. Techno barks out a short laugh and lightly nudges him with an elbow.

"I like how you think." Techno lights the portal, "Okay, you're gonna get real dizzy for a minute. It's fine. Oh also it's gonna be really, really hot. But ya live with Sapnap, so you're gonna be fine. C'mon."

Tubbo grabs Techno's hand, and the older of the two walks them both through the portal at the same time. He breathes in the familiar air of the Nether, shoulders relaxing a bit. He looks down at Tubbo, who seems to still be regaining his balance and bearings. He doesn't let go until he's sure the eleven year old isn't going to fall on his face.

"You good?"

Tubbo nods after a second, "Mhm!" He looks around at the Nether, only having heard stories from Sappa and Dream, sometimes Gogy.

It's really, really, really, _really_ , red. It reminds Tubbo of Tommy. It's also really really hot, just like Techno had said. That part reminds him of Sappa, and he grins a little wider. There's fire, and if he looks hard enough he can see lava in the distance. There's Piglins and Magma Cubes everywhere, none of them paying any mind to the two hybrids or their portal. 

Techno taps the gold around Tubbo's wrists, "If you're wearing gold, they don't care. Don't take it off. That's when ya get in trouble."

Tubbo nods, and Techno starts leading him through terrain that feels like it should be rocky. The ground's texture is somewhere between mushy and tough, but Tubbo doesn't sink, and neither does Techno. 

They walk for what feels like forever until Techno stops at the edge of a flat portion of land. Tubbo almost bumps into him at the sudden lack of movement, confused. When he looks up at Techno, he sees something worrying: Techno's got the same look he gets when he sees Bad.

Tubbo looks where Techno's eyes are fixated and sees something strange. Someone that looks like an Enderman hybrid (but… not? They look weird) stands in the middle of the small plain, looking like a deer who's been caught in the woods.

When Tubbo grabs Techno's hand again, he can feel the nineteen year old trembling. He knows he's small, and that Techno hasn't taught him how to properly fight yet, but Tubbo shuffles in front of him anyway. He holds the dagger tight in his free hand and glares as hard as he can at the person.

"Uh…" Their eyes dart from Tubbo to Techno to Tubbo's dagger, "Hi…?" 

They raise a hand carefully in a slow wave, and Tubbo lowers his dagger just a little. He looks back for a second, and Techno is still frozen, so he decides not to trust the stranger too much. They could be nice like Bad, or they could earn Techno's fear.

"Can— hmmm, uh, can you put the point— mmm the pointy thing— down?" They've got a deep voice that reminds Tubbo of the Piglin hybrid behind him, but they don't sound super steady with it, like their mouth isn't made for commonspeak.

Deciding that Techno is out of commission, Tubbo takes control of the situation, "Why?"

"Huhmmmm sharp. Also uh— scared— hmmm."

"Oh." Tubbo lowers his arm all the way. He keeps checking back with Techno, but there's a good chance that he isn't going to move, so Tubbo frowns.

"You're scaring Techno, so I have to keep holding it. I won't point it at you. It's a dagger," Tubbo compromises.

The entity nods slowly, then a bit faster. Tubbo remembers doing the same when Dream took him in. His frown softens a bit. They're still standing too far away for Tubbo to see them clearly. He doesn't think Techno will be okay if they walk over.

"Techno, I'm gonna go say hi." Tubbo lets go of Techno's hand, watching the older as he slowly walks backwards toward the stranger. Techno doesn't react much, hand grasping at air, so Tubbo continues walking.

When he gets halfway between the two, Tubbo can see the stranger better. It's like someone's cut two different people in half and glues them together. One side of the stranger is pitch black, like Bad, and the other is all white. One of their eyes is red, the other is green. Even their hair is split! And they're _tall_. Tubbo can tell from where he is. They're wearing what the Piglins he's seen so far are— reddish-brown cloth tied in a tunic.

"I'm Tubbo. Do you have a name?"

They blink owlishly, then nod again. 

"What is it?"

"Ranboo."

"Cool!"

They— no— he smiles, and Tubbo sees why it sounds like Ranboo's having trouble speaking in a language that isn't, well, Enderman. It's like his jaw connects behind his ears instead of in front, his smile quite _literally_ splitting his face into two parts. 

A second small realization dawns on Tubbo: Ranboo wasn't stuttering or humming, he was speaking Enderman. Tubbo smiles right back at him.

"You're friendly, right?"

"Yeah!" Another nod from the half-and-half hybrid. 

"Okay!" Tubbo turns and jogs back to Techno. He grabs his hand again.

"Techno, that's Ranboo. It's okay, he's nice." Bad was nice, too, but maybe the addition would help a little.

Techno frowns and blinks. He shakes his head, "Tubbo we're leavin'." He turns and starts to walk off, Tubbo still in hand.

"Why?"

"Dangerous." 

"But he's nice!"

"Tubbo."

"Techno, I promise! He doesn't wanna hurt us! _He_ was scared of _me_!"

"Enderman're _dangerous_ , Tubbo, what don't you get about that?" Techno whirls around, and he's not quite yelling, but his voice is louder than it usually is, and he's a lot more tense, and Tubbo remembers something he doesn't want to.

Techno notices his mistake half a second later, "Tubbo, I'm sorry, it's okay, it's fine, kid," but Tubbo's eyes are already welling up and he's already not hearing Techno anymore.

Techno doesn't really want to watch a kid have a full blown flashback panic attack, but he doesn't know how to stop it. He squats to get at eye level with the boy, or at least to a spot where Tubbo doesn't have to crane his neck to see him.

"Tubbo?"

The pink haired man isn't one to curse, but he really wants to, because how could he have been such an idiot? Take a kid to the Nether and then snap at him? Being desensitized to Tommy behavior has its downsides. Tommy wouldn't cry over this, he'd probably huff and move on, but Tubbo wasn't Tommy, no matter how much they looked alike.

Techno looks up, and oh _fuck_ does he really want to curse, because that 'Ranboo' guy is headed over.

"Is he— mmmm okay?"

"Everythin' is fine, ya don't need t' be here."

Techno really needs to stop snapping at people. He's never been good with stress. 

"Hmmm— uh, he's crying," Ranboo points out.

"I can tell. He's gonna be fine, go find someone your own age t' make buddies with."

Ranboo stares at Techno and blinks slowly and Techno swears he's never been more unsettled in his life. He's not one for physical contact, but he tugs Tubbo closer to him anyway and hopes his breakdown doesn't last too long.

"Why're ya starin' at me like that?"

"Mmmm tryin' t' ffff— hmmm figure out what you uh, hmmmm— mean."

"I _mean_ ," Techno ignores the fact that Ranboo is clearly already starting to pick up his speech patterns, "stop stickin' around kids. Seriously, what guy gets scared of an eleven year old with a crappy dagger?"

Ranboo starts laughing, and Techno feels like he's being made fun of a little.

"I'm— hmmm—" Techno understands what Ranboo is saying, but he doesn't want the guy to know that. He's scary, he gets to struggle a bit, "a kid uhhhhhh too."

Techno takes back his thought process, "Huh?" And upon realizing he's snapped at not only one child but two, he breathes a shaky, "Bruh."

Ranboo continues laughing, and Techno sits there for a few moments before Tubbo starts blinking back into reality and Ranboo's laughter trickles off. Tubbo scrubs his eyes free of tears and blinks some more.

He looks up and around, realizing that he hasn't moved from his spot. 

"Tubs, are ya here?" Techno asks carefully.

Tubbo nods, "Uh-huh. Sorry."

"Don't be. C'mon, we should get outta here," Techno stands back up, Tubbo following.

The goat hybrid looks back at the Enderman hybrid and stares for a moment. He looks down at his hand, still holding the dagger, and looks back up. Tubbo slips the dagger between his shin guard and leg, and holds his hand out to Ranboo. 

Techno looks almost scandalized, "Tubbo, what are you doin', kid?"

"He said he was a kid. You can't just leave kids all alone, Techno."

Techno would beg to differ, but he doesn't, "You heard that?"

"Uh-huh."

Techno sort of stares for a moment before rolling his eyes, "Fine. But take the dagger outta your shin guards, you're gonna stab yourself on accident."

"I can't hold his hand if I'm holding a dagger, Techno."

"That's— mmmm fine," Ranboo speaks up, "I c— hmm follow."

Techno really doesn't like that this kid is copying his speech patterns. It's a little creepy, honestly. He still doesn't want to say that he understands the hums and uhs that make up Enderman, so he guesses he'll just deal with it. He really, really doesn't want to, though. Endermen are terrifying.

He leads the kids back to the portal like some sort of mother duck. If Wilbur were home, he'd probably make fun of him. Fundy definitely would. Tommy would be laughing too hard to speak. Phil would probably have that dad look that he gets sometimes, the one that looks sad and proud and caring all at once.

When they reach the portal, Techno looks back at Ranboo, "Ever been through a portal before, kid?"

When Ranboo shakes his head, Techno sighs, and Tubbo holds out a hand again, "Tubbo— wait no that's smart, nevermind. Listen, you're gonna get real dizzy for a bit. Don't freak out on us."

"Okay," Ranboo decides that he does not want to mess with the Piglin hybrid with a sword.

Tubbo grabs his hand, and Techno drags them through the portal. Tubbo stumbles around a bit, but at least he doesn't faceplant like Ranboo does. The poor kid's limbs are too long for him to get his balance as easily or quickly as Tubbo and Techno, so down he goes. He makes sure to let go of Tubbo's hand halfway down so he doesn't drag him down, too, though. Such thoughtfulness.

When he scrambles back up, it's like he's thrown into a trance. Ranboo's never seen the overworld before, always living in the Nether. It's so bright and colorful, and—

"Where's— hmmm— ceilin'?" 

Techno snorts, "There ain't one. Crazy, I know."

Tubbo and Techno let Ranboo stare around in awe for a while longer until Techno decides they need to head home.

"Can Ranboo stay with us?" Tubbo asks, and Techno swears he's still scared shitless of Endermen when he nods. It probably helps that Ranboo's just a kid, that Tubbo ( _Tubbo_ , of all people, seriously) had the capability to scare him upon first meeting.

Tubbo takes Tommy's bed that night, because he can do that and Tommy isn't going to be back until tomorrow, and Techno sets Ranboo up in Fundy's room, because it's furthest down the hall, and would also be a funny story to tell ("Remember that time I let an Enderman sleep in your bed?" "You _what_?").

Do Endermen even need to sleep? Techno shrugs. The kid's a hybrid. Maybe the human part of him will appreciate the rest. Techno knows he won't sleep tonight, but that isn't exactly new. He just needs to make sure Tubbo stays safe, he justifies.

Technoblade never gets scared.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tallest child joins the party!!!  
> Ranboo is probably gonna stay ooc for these two chapters, since at this point he's still learning commonspeak and has just been dragged into a new world.
> 
> Techno's not good with kids lol
> 
> ALSO WAS NO ONE GONNA TELL ME I WAS SPELLING GOGY WRONF THIS ENTIRE TIME


	17. 17

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Technoblade does not get scared.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I want everyone here to know that all of these chapters are background information. This is all character development. We haven't reached the main plot point yet.
> 
> That being said :D!!!
> 
> TWs: implied/referenced trauma, mentions of nightmares at the end

Techno is still awake when Ranboo knocks on his door. 

The sun has just set, and Tubbo is fast asleep. Techno groans inwardly and steels himself before opening his door a crack and looking up at the kid (up! He's never had to look up at someone younger than him before). 

"Haah?" He grunts. The Enderman that he's not even sure is hybrid points out one of the hallway windows.

"Mmmm—"

"I'm gonna hafta cut ya off there. I know it gets dark out, I live up here. It's weird. You'll get used to it. Ya sleep when it's dark," Techno grumbles. He closes his door again and waits to hear either a noise of teleportation or footsteps.

Back pressed against the wood, Techno makes the conscious effort not to lock his door. After a few agonizingly long seconds, he hears the boy walk back to Fundy's room and relaxes a little. He slides down until he's sitting, burying his head in his knees.

He doesn't get why he's still afraid— especially of a child and a guy who censors himself with the word 'muffin'. They don't even look like the guy that did it. Bad has horns, his eyes are white, and he's got bits of red everywhere. Ranboo has hair, he's got red and green eyes, and he's split in half and looks more ghastly than human. The biggest similarity Techno can find between the three is the Enderman factor. The energy is just off-putting, he guesses.

He doesn't sleep for the rest of the night, instead fiddling with his stolen comm tablet.

* * *

When the sun rises again, Techno emerges from his room. He meets a tired Tubbo in the hallway and heads for the kitchen. Ranboo is standing in the corner of the living room, unsure of what to do with himself. Tubbo smiles and waves. 

"Did you sleep in your clothes last night?" The blonde asks.

"Yeah. Huhhmm not supposed t'?" Techno wishes he could roll his eyes at the other kid, but it's not like he was much better when Phil brought him to the overworld for the first time.

"Nah. We'll find somethin' for you later," Techno says.

Ranboo trails after the two, and when Tubbo sits down at the table, he copies him, cramming long legs under the wooden tabletop and scrunching down to fit. Techno messes around in the cabinets, grabbing bowls and cereal.

Eventually, all three of them sit at the table quietly munching away at their breakfast. Techno thinks it's almost funny— two ex-Nether-dwellers and a goat boy, all who came from gods know where. He supposes that they all know where they came from, individually, but to the rest of the people who lived in the field? They might as well have come from the clouds. 

He thinks about it a bit more, and his little joke turns into a serious study in his mind. George and Dream had come from a village far west of here, Sapnap from the Nether. Bad was also from the Nether, and that Diamond Ore guy popped out of a mountain one day and just started walking around. Phil came from the End (not that anyone was exactly supposed to know that), Wilbur and Fundy from a forest village, and Tommy from a village to the East. 

Techno guesses that Karl came from another village, probably near George and Dream's. Tubbo obviously had to come from somewhere, but no one had ever reported a missing boy, so Techno considers him to have come from nowhere. Ranboo was wandering the Nether, but that was a very general outlook. Techno was from the Nether too, but that place was as large as the overworld (maybe bigger), so he doesn't count that as a place worthy of being from. It was like saying that someone was from the overworld— where in the overworld? Just the overworld? It doesn't make sense.

Techno himself doesn't come from anywhere _bad_ , at least. Just some nowhere town in the Nether that… doesn't exist anymore. That's all. He glances at Ranboo and decides that the kid probably has a similar story. 

The rest of the morning passes relatively quietly, Tubbo talking with Ranboo while Techno sits in the corner like the responsible supervisor he is. Techno wonders if any of them have a proper train of thought or if they just didn't want to speak up about it, but about an hour later Tubbo pops up like a spring.

"We forgot to get Ranboo clothes!"

"But uhh—hmm clothes already," The tallest person in the room says, confused. 

Techno wonders if Phil ever got frustrated with him when he first came out of the Nether. Not that he's frustrated with Ranboo— he isn't! He completely understands the kid's train of thought, but he can see how someone might get a bit peeved. 

"You have Nether clothes, kid. You're gonna get cold up here real fast, so we gotta find ya somethin' so you don't freeze your butt off while ya adjust." 

Techno stands up fully from where he's been leaning and makes a beeline for Phil's room, "Follow me."

Now Phil isn't super tall, Wilbur is taller and Techno can see Tommy outgrowing him as well, but the guy loves his long, flowy clothes, and Techno won't get in trouble for giving something to someone else if it's Phil's. So he leads the boys into his adoptive father's room and digs around his closet for a few minutes.

When he comes back out, he's got one of Phil's weird, old-style outfits folded over his arm. He dumps the clothes on the bed unceremoniously and shoos Tubbo out. He follows the smallest, and before shutting the door to give Ranboo privacy, sticks his head in and says, "Change into that. 's warm."

* * *

Techno does not get scared, but his shoulders lose a bit of tension when Ranboo comes back into the living room. Maybe it's the familiar clothing or the fact that he's been around the kid for more than an hour without completely losing his shit, but Techno feels slightly less apprehensive than before.

(He still doesn't feel entirely safe, but the kids don't need to know that)

"Warmer?"

Ranboo nods, then Techno nods, and then Tubbo nods as well because he wants to be included. 

"Cool. Tubbo, still wanna learn how t' fight?" Techno drawls. Tubbo nods rapidly.

"Yeah!" He hops off of the couch and bounces by the door. Techno walks over as well, Ranboo following like a lost puppy. Lost… Enderman hybrid. Thing. Ghast? Like a lost puppy.

They head out to the field, Techno grabbing a few branches from dying trees in the surrounding area. Ranboo is content with sitting and watching, staring at the grass or the sky (Techno does not want to relate to an Enderman, but he remembers doing the same thing— he remembers lying in the lawn and just absorbing all of the new information of the overworld).

Techno tosses Tubbo a stick, and the kid fumbles with it for a moment before steadying. 

"Okay, so, ya wanna hold it like this— no, Tubbo, no, like this— Tubbo—"

* * *

When Phil comes back home late afternoon with three of his four sons, he doesn't expect what he sees. At first, he stops and raises his wings protectively to stop his boys from walking forward as well. But he sees Techno and Tubbo and a tall stranger sparring with sticks, and the stranger doesn't seem to know how to hold the branch correctly, and Techno corrects them, and Phil lowers his wings. 

"Who's that?" Tommy asks loudly, and Fundy shrugs.

"I'm not sure, Tommy. We should introduce ourselves instead of staring, shouldn't we?" Phil laughs a little and heads toward the trio. 

When he gets closer, he can see that the stranger is wearing his clothes, which is, admittedly, very odd. Tubbo drops his stick and shouts his friend's name, running toward the four. Tommy tackles his smaller friend, and is perfectly distracted from the stranger completely. The stranger, who hides behind Techno, who looks both bored and slightly u comfortable. 

Phil waves, "Hello, boys! I see you've made a friend, yeah?"

Techno slowly nods, and Tubbo cheers, "Yeah! This is Ranboo!"

'Ranboo' nods with a careful wave. Phil smiles back at him, "Nice to meet you, mate. My name's Phil, and these are my sons, Wilbur, Fundy, and Tommy. You've already met Techno, I take it?"

Ranboo nods a bit quicker, and Phil notices that he hasn't spoken yet. 

"Everything alright?"

Surprisingly, Techno speaks up in the Enderman hybrid's place.

"Kid's probably scare, Phil. Four people just walked outta the woods, to be fair."

"He can't speak super good yet, but that's okay!" Tubbo chimes in, and Phil nods in understanding. Wilbur and Fundy head inside, likely tired from the journey.

Tommy is glued to Tubbo's side, staring up at Ranboo in awe, "You're like, half and half. Pog."

"What does pog mean?"

"Dunno. Made it up."

"Pog."

"Pog _champ_."

Tubbo and Tommy laugh at their new word. Phil sighs and shakes his head in good nature. He looks back over at Techno, who is surprisingly not sending him an S.O.S. message via eye contact. He wonders how long Ranboo has been here.

"Alright, alright, come inside boys. It's getting late, let's head in," A pause, and then when Ranboo looks unsure, "You too, Ranboo. I can't just as well leave you out here, now can I?"

* * *

Later that night when everyone else is tucked in and snoring the darkness away, Techno knocks on Phil's door. Phil lets his second-oldest son in, and the two spend a while talking quietly on the edge of Phil's bed.

Phil brings up the inevitable.

"If Ranboo were to stay here with us, would you be okay?"

Techno has to think about his answer. He knows that the boy is just a kid, and that that kid can barely imitate a sword correctly with a stick, but he's still uneasy. He won't go anywhere near Bad, won't step foot outside of his locked and barricaded room if he's inside. He doesn't get why he ignores the urge to do the same while Ranboo is around. Maybe he just looks different enough to be around.

In the end, he shrugs. "Dunno. Maybe. He's a kid, he's not dangerous, but…"

Phil wraps one wing around Techno. "It's okay to be afraid, Techno. We can see if Dream and his friends can take him in. Would that feel safer?"

Techno nods and Phil hugs him from the side. "Okay. We'll do that when they get back tomorrow, then. Go get some sleep if you can, please. You need it, kid."

The pink haired boy hugs his father for a few more minutes before nodding and getting up. 

"Night dad."

* * *

Techno dreams of purple eyes, fire, and a bleeding man who's name he's stolen as his own. He wonders if Ranboo's had to do the same.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Y'ALL REALLY LIKED RANBOO LAST CHAPTER CJFNVMDNNS
> 
> THREE PAGES OF THE COMMENTS  
> T H R E E
> 
> I'M SOBBING ILY GUYS SO MUCH😭😭😭😭🥺🥺🥺
> 
> Techno lore!!!  
> During one stream, Techno says that the name Technoblade wasn't actually original, and that he'd seen it somewhere when he was younger and thought "oh that's a cool name" and pretty much stole it, so I put it into the lore. But like, angsty. Yw


	18. 18

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Karl's been here for too long.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Karl pog
> 
> TW: none

Karl loves this village, he knows everyone by name, and everyone knows him just as well. He can't stay. 

Every day he spends here is a day where the hole in his heart grows bigger, and he can't patch that up poorly like he does with his hoodie. He can't take the scraps of one family and sew them into the empty spaces where his was— where his still _is_ , somewhere. He wants to go home.

He's learned enough about what he can and can't do, learned enough about dangerous beings and what could trick him into death. He's learned about his friend (the poor guy was cursed— couldn't be near more than one or two people calmly), he's learned about the woods and mountains.

But he needs to go now. 

So he leaves a note (he can't bear to look at the nice lady who's been letting him stay in her spare room) with a scribbly smiley face and a patch of colorful fabric and packs his bag.

He tugs his hood over shaggy brown hair and stuffs his feet in big, warm winter boots that he's been having to stuff paper into the toes of, because they're too big for him, but the only pair of shoes he could find. He heads out much earlier than he would normally, because he knows no one else will be awake, and that the constant snowfall will cover his tracks. 

Karl walks for about thirty minutes before the sun rises, and as he shakes his beastly friend awake, he can see the snow sparkle in the blinding way it does. 

He'll miss it here, but he misses his family more.

"C'mon, wake up already, we gotta go."

"No, I'm not in trouble, I just can't stay here anymore."

"Don't look at me like that— you know why. I gotta get back home, dude, I miss them."

"I miss them."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> His misses them, chat :(
> 
> I was gonna paint my nails but I wanted to write. Maybe tomorrow


	19. 19

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tubbo doesn't want to remember, but he'll do it just this once.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Family :]
> 
> TW: abuse, flashbacks, slight dissociation, all are brief

Tubbo is twelve years old when he's being shaken awake by Ranboo way too early in the morning.

"Huh?" Tubbo yawns.

"Get up, get up, get up, Tubbo there's  _ people _ in the house," his adoptive brother says in a hushed tone, "and they're not people we know."

That has Tubbo awake and alert in seconds. Is it like what happened to Karl? Is everyone okay? His face scrunches up in worry as Ranboo flits around the room, teleporting this way and that. He tugs out a yellow button up and some jeans from the closet, throwing them at Tubbo.

"Get dressed, come on!"

"Ran— Ran what do you mean there's people here?" Tubbo whispers, matching his volume with Ranboo's. 

"I mean there's people here and I don't know them, so it's a little stressful, and you should get dressed so if they mean anythin' bad, we can run away and you won't freeze in footie pajamas."

"Hey, if I die, I'm dying in footies, Ran." 

Tubbo grabs his clothes and changes anyway. He misses a button, but neither of the pre-teens say anything about it. The door isn't fully closed, but Tubbo can see that Ranboo's at least shut it enough that no one could see in. Unfortunately that means that Tubbo can't see  _ out _ of the door (not that he'd be able to see anything more than the other wall of the hallway). 

But, Tubbo remembers, he does have ears (he blames his forgetfulness on being half asleep). He strains the fluffy appendages, flicking them back and forth, rotating, but he can't hear anything. Ranboo pokes his shoulder.

"They're outside."

"Why'd you say they were in the house, then?" Tubbo frowns a bit. Ranboo shrugs.

"They were inside earlier."

"Oh! Okay, that makes sense."

Tubbo pulls out his comm tablet to send a message to Tommy. Dream had finally registered him a few months ago, along with Ranboo, and Phil had registered Tommy. That meant that they now had their own comm tablets, the ability to set their own spawn points, and ender chest privileges. Tubbo takes it all very seriously, and does not spend his time sending funny messages to Tommy and Ranboo at ten thirty pm (even if Ranboo shares his room).

**_Tubbo_:_ ** _ do u knwo people feild ? _

**_TommyInnit:_ ** _ people in the where _

So Tommy doesn't know what's up, either.

**_TommyInnit:_ ** _ im going back to sleep night _

And Tommy doesn't want to know, Tubbo guesses. That's fair. He checks the clock and catches it right as it turns 8. Yeah, it's way too early. He slides his tablet away and looks back at Ranboo.

"D'you know when they're gonna come back?"

Ranboo shrugs, "Nope. Just kinda ran down the hall when dad opened the door."

"They left really fast, huh?"

"Yeah."

"What do you think they're talking about?" Tubbo flops on his bed, grabbing his pillow and hugging it as he swings his feet over the edge. 

"I'm runnin' out of 'dunno's, Tub."

The two laugh at that and settle for chilling out until Dream or any of the other three adults come back inside. It takes about half an hour for Bad to appear in the hallway and knock.

"Boys? Are you both awake?"

Ranboo calls a hum back, and Tubbo shouts a 'yeah'. Bad ducks into the room and walks to Tubbo's bed. He sits next to the blonde and takes a deep breath, like he doesn't know what to say.

"Tubbo, something very important is happening right now, and it might be stressful," He starts. Ranboo briefly wonders if he should be here for this conversation, and decides on scooting across the hall to Bad's room.

"And it might upset you a bit."

Tubbo frowns and holds his pillow a bit closer. He's twelve years old, he can handle it, but he doesn't like how careful Bad is being. Bad is never hesitant. 

"What's happening?"

Bad shuts his eyes for a second and pauses, resting a hand on the boy's shoulder, "Kiddo, I know you don't— I know you've never talked about it, but do you remember anything from before you came here…?"

Tubbo does his very best to not freeze up, but it's hard. He shrugs Bad's hand off, thinking about how he'd much rather have this conversation with his dad, or maybe Tommy, instead.

"Why?"

Bad frowns, "We just need to know one thing, okay?"

Tubbo nods with a hum, burying the lower half of his face in his pillow and staring down at the floor.

"Did you have any brothers or sisters?"

* * *

  
  
  


_ Tubbo is four and a half and all he knows is that papa hurt him. _

_ Tubbo is four and a half and he sees Iki and Et crying. _

_ Tubbo is four and a half and Iki puts a band-aid on his boo-boos and rubs mushy stuff on his purples and blues. _

_ Tubbo is four and three quarters and there's glass in his arm. _

_ Tubbo is four and three quarters and Iki and Et wake him up when it's dark. _

_ Tubbo is four and three quarters and Et and Iki are holding his hands. _

_ Tubbo is five and Iki trails behind him and Et. _

_ Tubbo is five and Et tells Iki to 'stay here, I think I found a spot for him'. _

_ Tubbo is five and standing on a set of cobblestone steps and Et tells him that he loves him so super much. _

_ Tubbo is five and a green man in a mask opens the door. _

* * *

  
  
  


Tubbo is twelve and hugging his pillow so tight that he thinks it will rip. 

Bad is calling his name softly, drawing him out of the memories. Tubbo's never tried to remember, never wanted to, never had to, but now he can't stop the few memories from playing over and over in his head. He nods very slowly.

"Tubbo, are you here?" Bad asks gently. Tubbo blinks up at him with big, baby blue eyes. He nods again.

"Uh-huh."

The man smiles unsteadily, "Okay. You don't have to talk about it. All we need is a yes or a no, I promise," no more pinkie promises.

"Yeah," Tubbo nods a third time, "Had two."

Bad's smile grows sturdy, "Do you miss them?"

Tubbo thinks for a long while and nods for what feels like the 200th time. "A lot."

"Do you want to go meet them again?"

Tubbo snaps his attention back up from where he's drifted to the floor again. He goes rigid, and the poor pillow suffocates. He asks Bad a silent question, to which he gets a nod.

The pillow is thrown onto Ranboo's bed as Tubbo  _ sprints _ out of the room, sliding into the opposing hallway wall in his haste. He ignores the loud thunk that it causes, scrambling to get his footing, tripping as he races for the door.

He slams the door open, tumbling down the cobble steps and ignoring his skinned knees. He rolls back into a standing run, bolting for the group of adults in the center of the field. He sees five of them— Dad, Sappa, Gogy, and— and he hasn't seen them in seven years, but he recognizes them in seconds, and they're really here and— and—

"Iki— Et!" Tubbo practically shrieks. 

The five turn to face him just as he barrels into the two 'strangers'. One is impressively tall, with curly brown hair and pure white eyes hidden behind dark shades. They have one horn, a black-tipped nose, and a set of fluffy brown ears. The other is impressively small, just a little taller than Tubbo, with long, wavy blonde hair that he knows hides fluffy white ears, and baggy pants that he knows are hiding goat legs and hooves.

Tubbo reaches spindly arms around them and hugs them so tight that he feels like the pillow may have been at mercy. And he  _ sobs _ .

The two of them hug him just as tight, and none of the three can stand. They sink to the ground in the tall grass, grasping and clinging and crying and repeating their names, repeating their 'I love you's, the two oldest repeating their 'We're so, so, so sorry's. 

Tubbo never wants to let go, never, ever again. He doesn't think he'll ever run out of tears. He'll never run out of the energy to hug them. He'll never, ever try to forget again. He buries his head in between his siblings' shoulders and bawls loud enough that he's sure everyone in Phil's house can hear (and he knows they heard his shrieking already).

"What's going on?!" And there's Tommy, running out of his house with a sword that clearly isn't his. He's probably grabbed it in a short panic. It's Phil's, and it's longer than the boy's leg, dragging on the ground.

"Why's Tubbo crying? Who the fuck are you? What did you do?" He speaks a mile a minute, defensive and brash and loud.

Sapnap laughs, shakes his head, and holds a hand up, "Tommy, everything is fine," He says as Phil and the rest of Tommy's siblings file out of their house, "It's okay, guys, it's okay!" 

"It's not okay if Tubbo's crying, big man, you know this." Tommy huffs and crosses his arms, careful of the sword. He glares at the two new people, "Who are you, anyway?"

Neither of the two answer, still too busy hugging Tubbo and crying. Dream takes a look at the situation, glances at Phil, shares a nod with the man, and kneels next to the trio.

"Let's head inside, okay? We can talk more then."

The tall one hugs the girl and Tubbo a bit tighter, and Dream adds, "Don't worry, we're not separating you."

Shaky breaths precede a nod and an, "Okay."

* * *

  
  
  


Dream's couch is somewhat of a communal meeting spot now, he thinks. Tubbo is squished between the two newcomers, still holding onto their arms tightly. Tommy sits on the floor in front of Tubbo like some sort of guard dog, staring at the two intensely. Techno leans on a wall in the corner, Ranboo in a chair by him. Sapnap smushes himself into the same chair as George, Dream choosing to sit on the table. Phil stands near the table, Fundy and Wilbur sitting on the floor next to it. Bad is in the kitchen, making muffins for the occasion, but still listening in.

"So," Tommy starts, "Who the fuck are you? Why are you here? What's Tubbo got to do with it?"

"Language!" Bad calls from the kitchen. Dream snorts.

"My name is Niki," The blonde girl waves, "and this is Eret."

The one-horned person smiles, nodding shortly. 

"The rest is a long story," They take over the introductions, "but the short of it is basically this: we're Tubbo's older siblings. We brought him here when we were all really young. I think Niki and I were your age, actually."

Niki shakes her head, "No, Tubbo's twelve, we were thirteen."

"Close enough," Eret says, "Anyway, we came back because we promised to as soon as we could. And we finally can, so here we are."

Tubbo nods quickly. Tommy seems to settle for the answer, but only halfway.

"So where do you live now?"

"We made a small house a bit north of here."

Niki is kind, answering whatever the taller twelve year old asks. She's patient and soft-spoken, and Tommy wants to trust her. Tubbo clearly does, so she's safe, but he glances over at Eret and stares for a while.

"How come you have horns—" He won't mention that one is missing, "—and Niki doesn't? Like, Tubbo has horns and ears, and so do you, but you've got a nose that he doesn't have. Aren't you all blood-related or something?"

Eret makes a sort of surprised face, like they weren't expecting that question. Nevertheless, they answer it.

"That's just genetics," They start, Sapnap nodding, "Sometimes hybrids just do that. Like— your names are Fundy and Wilbur, right?— like Fundy and Wilbur, for example. Sometimes you just get different traits."

They glance at Niki, and she nods carefully.

"Tubbo's got his ears, horns, and eyes, right? I've got my horns, ears, nose, and my nails are more like goat hooves than human nails, see?" They hold up a hand, black nails present. Tommy honestly just thought they'd painted their nails. 

"Meanwhile, Niki's got her ears, and from the waist down she's goat." 

Tommy processes that for a few seconds, then, "So like a goat mermaid?"

The entire room collectively fails at holding back a laugh, Niki included. Tommy flounders for a minute.

"Wait— no— no I meant satyrs! Satyr! Stop laughing at me! You're all assholes! Stop it!" He complains, all light-heartedly. 

"Language!" Bad calls again, through hiccuping laughs. He ducks into the living room, and Techno expertly dodges outside without alerting anyone. He stands by the window instead, taking a muffin when Phil sticks his head out to hand it over.

Tommy forgets the question he's meant to ask (are you going to take Tubbo away from us?), but that's alright. He'll remember it later. For now, he curses until Phil chastises him for messing with Bad so deliberately.

That night, he worms himself into Tubbo's bed, because Eret and Niki and Tubbo are piled on it, and if it's a sibling hug pile, Tommy isn't going to let himself be excluded. He still isn't sure about the two, so he'll resume his self-appointed duty of protecting the boy he considers his little brother.

  
  
  
  


("Wait, wait, I need you to settle something for me!"

"Sure, what is it?"

"When was Tubbo born?"

"December, why?"

"Fuck!"

"Haha, I'm older than you!"

"Oh shut it, you're still my little brother and anyone who says otherwise is wrong and stupid.")

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> REUNITED FAMILY!!!!! THEY'RE BACK TOGETHER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
> 
> Quick age chart for mine and your convenience:   
> \- Ranboo, Tommy, and Tubbo are the same age  
> \- Fundy is seven years older than them  
> \- Techno, Niki, and Eret are eight years older than them  
> \- Wilbur is two years older than Fundy  
> \- Phil is about 20 years older than Wilbur  
> \- Dream, George, Sapnap, Karl, Bad, and Skeppy are 19—20 years older than Tubbo


	20. 20

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> There's just one person still missing, Tubbo thinks.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wrote this between four science tests xjfncnndncns
> 
> TW: implied/referenced abuse, brief panic response, talk of separation, referenced missing person

Tubbo wakes up warm and feeling more whole than he has in a long, long time. 

He’s never realized how empty it feels to be left somewhere, since he’s spent all of his time being loved where he is, he guesses. A bit of him still feels empty, and he wonders if Honk will miraculously show up, too, to fill that space. Maybe he’s hoping a little too much, but that’s okay. He’s allowed to wish.

The youngest goat hybrid is currently pinned underneath his best friend and his older siblings, and his limbs are buzzing with the pins and needles of being asleep. Normally, he’d complain, but Tubbo is too happy to care too much. He lays there with a happy smile on his face and decides that drifting off again sounds pretty good. 

* * *

The next time that Tubbo wakes up is to Tommy poking his face repeatedly. Tubbo blinks at him, and when he tries poking him again, he bites him (not enough to hurt, though). Tommy shrieks and shoves Tubbo to the side a bit. The smaller blonde laughs so hard that he becomes light-headed. 

Eret and Niki are awake very soon after, confused and apprehensive. Seeing that Tubbo is cackling his life away and that Tommy is fake-pouting (and trying to hide a laugh of his own), they both relax substantially. Tommy, seeing that they are awake, turns to tattle.

“Tubbo bit me!” He whines.

“You were poking me!” Tubbo defends through wheezing giggles, something he’s picked up from Dream.

“Yeah, well-- well you were snoring!”

“Was not!”

Niki can’t help but start to laugh a little as well, a wispy and light sound. Eret’s laugh is a little louder, but still only about the level of noise that a good chuckle would be at. Ranboo rolls over in his bed, facing the group of four, and tosses a pillow at them. 

Eret and Niki react the most to it, Eret blocking the pillow and batting it out of the air before it can hit anyone, Niki staring with wide eyes and freezing for a split second. Ranboo instantly shoots up, fully awake.

“Oh gods, I’m so sorry!” He hurriedly apologizes.

Eret breathes a small sigh of relief and shakes their head, “It’s fine, it’s okay, don’t worry,” they relax. Niki nods as well.

“Don’t worry, okay?”

Ranboo nods hesitantly. He’s not exactly flying at the idea that he’s triggered a brief stance of fight-or-flight, and makes a note to not do that in the future. Tubbo checks Eret and Niki, like he’s making sure that they’re alright. He seems satisfied, and wiggles off of the bed.

“I’m hungry,” Tommy announces, effectively changing the subject and lightening the mood (and he knows it; he’s been subtly changing the subject for years, always seeming to catch Tubbo’s discomfort before even Tubbo does. He prides himself on being a good brother).

Tubbo agrees, “Wanna see if there's any leftover muffins?"

"Tubbo, Tubbster, Tubs, Tubbox, Toob, buddy, friend, pal, amigo, comrade, if I eat another muffin, I'm gonna die."

Tubbo laughs again and leads everyone out to the kitchen. Eret finds it funny, as they take up the rear of the line, how their little brother seems to have collected a conga line of family since they left him here.

(A small part of their mind blames themself for that, for making Tubbo build his own family instead of being there for him. They've done what they can, they suppose)

(They feel a little better about it when they see him run to Dream for a good-morning hug)

Tubbo searches the cabinets for a moment, grabbing as many bowls as his thin arms can hold.

(and Niki wishes he wasn’t so painfully tiny, because she knows that Dream has been taking care of him, and even then he doesn’t seem to gain enough weight. She’s hit with the image of a baby bird)

He puts the bowls all over the counter and climbs onto an empty spot in order to grab a large box of cereal. He dumps it into the bowls, doing his best to get it even. One bowl, though, Niki notices, has considerably more cereal in it. It seems purposeful, so she doesn’t mention it.

Once each bowl has milk and a spoon, he spins around, “Bone apple teeth!” He exclaims. Tommy bursts out in loud laughter.

“Tubbo what the fuck?”

“Sounded fun.”

* * *

Tubbo and Ranboo spar in the field in the afternoon. Techno supervises from a safe distance away, calling out advice. Tommy sits with Eret and Niki on the stairs, watching his friend show off for his newly reunited siblings. The taller blonde sets his elbows on his knees, chin in hands.

There’s a peaceful bit of silence, and Tommy can tell that Eret and Niki are proud of Tubbo. They have that look that Wilbur and Techno get sometimes when they look at him or Fundy. When they’ve done something good and praise-worthy. He doesn’t want to ruin the moment, but…

“Can I ask you guys something?” He turns his head toward the (what he assumes are) twins.

NIki nods, “Anything. We might not have an answer, but we can surely try to find one.”

Tommy pauses for a full minute, staring. Then, “Are you gonna take Tubbo away from us?” He whispers.

He immediately regrets it, catching the absolutely heartbroken look in Niki’s eyes (and he can feel it from behind Eret’s sunglasses). He watches them share a look that he, at twelve years old, does not understand, like they’re having a private conversation. He shrugs, acts like he hasn’t asked the question, and turns his gaze back to his brother and his friends.

“Nevermind.” He says. 

He doesn’t look back at them. Instead, he watches Ranboo dodge a well-aimed stick and trip Tubbo up. Tubbo rolls it off and pulls a dirty move: He hooks the branch behind Ranboo’s knees and pulls. Ranboo topples over and Techno calls the sparring session. Tubbo laughs good-naturedly, Ranboo chiming in with his own haunting wheezes. Techno pulls the kid up, gives him a few more tips, and then the trio heads over to Tommy, Eret, and Niki.

Tommy watches the two shove their uncertainty and apprehension down in favor of congratulating their little brother, and he feels a little guilty. He messes up Tubbo’s hair and pokes at Ranboo’s technique, joke-mocking him for losing to someone as shrimpy as Tubbo. Tubbo makes a face and proclaims his hatred of the seafood. Ranboo laughs.

Tommy tries to ignore the possibility of his best friend being taken away from him.

* * *

Tubbo understands why Tommy is so protective and why he clings-- Eret and Niki are strangers to him (Tubbo pretends they aren’t strangers to him too) and he’s valid for being wary. What Tubbo doesn’t understand is why Tommy insists on doing practically everything with him for the rest of the day. 

“Are we sure I’m the clingy one?” He asks, jokingly.

“Yes, you are so incredibly clingy. It’s like having sap stuck in your hair. Completely unbelievable, I swear!” Tommy jests right back. 

Tubbo laughs and lets his friend squish him further into the couch.

* * *

Dream pulls Eret and Niki aside as the sun sets. He can feel their fear from five feet away, so he makes sure to leave his body language relaxed and friendly.

“You wanted to talk to us?” Eret takes the lead again. Dream notices how they stand a step in front of their sister. A subtle defense. His heart hurts for them.

“Yeah. Don’t worry, I promise it’s nothing harmful,” Dream starts, “I just want to know what your plans from here on are.”

Niki rubs an arm anxiously, “We… did not have a solid one. We just wanted to see Tubbo again, but I don’t--” She takes a shaky breath, “I know this is selfish of me, but I don’t want to let him go again.” She whispers.

Eret nods carefully, “Mhm. We had a guest room all set up for him if he wanted it, back at our home, but,” They pause, Niki takes over.

“But then Tommy asked us if we were going to take Tubbo away from all of you, and we don’t know what to do. We would ask him,”

“But I don’t think either of us want to make him choose. You’re more of his family than we have been able to be. You’ve been there for him longer.” Eret mumbles.

Dream can’t stop the ache in his chest now, and it burns. He can’t separate Tubbo from his siblings again, but he knows that he doesn’t have enough room for two more kids. But he promised to take care of them, he promised himself. And they don’t know what to do. And he doesn’t know what to do.

The kitchen goes quiet as they all realize that there is no way to solve this situation happily. Niki leans on Eret, who wraps their arm around her shoulders. They’re at a stand-still. The only option that Dream can think of hurts, because he has never lied to Tubbo (Not yet, at least, because Karl could still be coming back).

“If you end leaving, and this is a very heavy _if_ , I can tell Tubbo you left to find someone,” Dream holds his hands up, “But I’m not saying that I want you gone. If I could, I would take you in a heartbeat. I made a promise that I would take care of whoever came for him like my own child.”

He thinks up more solutions on the spot, not wanting to make the situation worse, “Or we could build you a home here! We could totally do that-- George likes building, and so does Phil. You don’t have to leave or take him.”

Eret lights up subtly at the mention of building. They nod slowly, then faster. Dream is reminded of Tubbo at five years old. Niki does the same. Dream can definitely see the resemblance. But Niki frowns a little.

“When you mentioned looking for someone, what did you mean…?”

Dream curses himself for bringing it up. It was a panicked mention, not thought out and not something he wanted to dwell too hard on. He sighs anyway, shoulders dropping.

“The most I’d like to say about it is that Bad wasn’t originally supposed to move in, Tubbo is missing more family than just you two, and that we leave about once a month to go looking, so don’t worry when we head out.”

Niki holds a hand over her mouth, Eret frowning deeply. They both nod carefully. 

“We _will_ find him, or he’ll come home, so try not to worry. Tubbo means a lot to him.” Dream elaborates slightly. He can’t convey a smile through his mask to these two just yet, so he throws them two thumbs up.

“Now, emotionally weighty conversation aside, It’s getting late. You should probably stay the night here again,” Dream stuffs his hands into his hoodie pockets, “I can kick Sapnap out of his room tonight if you’d like,” He laughs, “He can room with bad or George or me. You guys need a bed that doesn’t have four people crammed into it, and I don’t see Tommy going home any time soon.”

Nik goes to protest, but Dream is already walking out of the kitchen and toward his friend. The two young adults watch as Dream hooks an arm over his friend’s shoulder, shake him around a bit in humor, explain the situation, and then push Sapnap lightly toward George. 

“Oh George,” Dream calls, and George books it to his room.

It is the first time that Eret sees someone be chased by someone else without feeling unsafe. They smile and turn to their twin, “Where do you think we should build?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm vibing I'm vibing I'm VIBING
> 
> EVERYONE GO READ "Found Family" BY DragonSaphiraReads RIGHT NOW PLEASE THEY WRITE ERET AND NIKI SO WELL I'M CRYINGGGGGGGGG
> 
> I CAN'T EXPRESS HOW FUCKING AMAZING IT IS TO HAVE PEOPLE WANT TO WRITE BRANCH OFFS OF THIS, IT'S SO COOL 😭😭😭🥺🥺🥺
> 
> (I got bored yesterday and wrote two more stories, "And Fundy" and "Storm Box", both are in the series so they can be found easy :0 )
> 
> Karl Interlude..... Soon.... He's on the move


	21. 21

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Karl hates pain.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Karl interlude but I ran out of ideas so he got hurt :(
> 
> TW: injury, not graphic

Karl hates pain.

It’s a known fact among everyone who’s ever met him, every spoken to him, ever accidentally nicked him during a sparring match (if they could ever get him to spar in the first place).

So Beast really shouldn’t be surprised that Karl is losing his absolute honking mind after twisting his foot the wrong way. 

He’s been so, so good at not getting hurt in the past two years that he’s almost forgotten how much it stings.

He cries for a good hour or so, just sitting at the bottom of the short, steep slope, while Beast paces. It’s not like his friend can do anything about his awkwardly angled foot. He’s got no opposable thumbs. 

Not his fault.

So, when the hour is up, Karl pulls his big boy pants on and pops his foot back into place. 

And then proceeds to cry for another thirty minutes before sucking it up and pulling himself back upright. 

Karl would curse the gods if he wasn’t so sure that’d get him killed on the spot, so he chooses to curse at the dirt itself for having such dangerous geography.

He makes it a good few feet before stumbling over again. Beast sort of scoots over. Karl gets the message and leans on his friend’s side.

They continue walking, because there’s no way that Karl is wasting any daylight. He spots something in the distance and picks up the pace a bit. Beast grunts.

“No, no we can’t stop here, I know where we are!”

“Please? Please? Just a little further?”

“I know it’s getting dark, I know, I promise I know, but please! I know what that is!”

“Honk you, man, honk you!”

“...”

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to yell.”

“You’re right… That doesn’t mean I’m happy about it, though.”

Yeah. Karl hates pain. And that includes emotional.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So just as a warning, the plot is gonna start to really pick up soon
> 
> And all of you are going to cry


	22. 22

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Wilbur finds a van.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Join the Grug the Drug Bug cult /j
> 
> RANBOO IN THE SMP POG!!!
> 
> TW: mentions of drugs

At thirteen years old, Tubbo spars with Tommy and Ranboo at the same time. Techno says that it's useful to learn how to fight more than one person, and that he's bored of coaching just two people. Dream watches from the porch when he can, calling out different strategies that he's taught the three as well.

While Techno teaches them brute force and offense, Dream teaches them agility and defense. Tubbo's much better with Dream's lessons than he is with Techno's, but he’s told that the best offense is a good defense (or something like that, at least).

Tubbo focuses on faking Ranboo out, easily beating him. Ranboo is a very skilled fighter, sure, but Tubbo is small and sneaky, and Ranboo fumbles over long limbs trying to keep track of him. Unfortunately, Tubbo has a habit of tunnel vision, and Tommy easily sneaks up behind him and overpowers him. Tommy wins that round, and does not let anyone forget it.

Techno calls for a break, and Tubbo pulls his brother back up with a wide grin. 

“You did great!” He says happily.

“Thanks, but you’re the one that beat me, so you’re legally obligated to say nice things,” Ranboo jokes. Tommy throws his arms in the air.

“Well I beat both of you, so I’m obviously the best of the best!” He laughs, throwing one arm over Tubbo’s shoulders and the other awkwardly around Ranboo’s. Ranboo bends down a little to make it easier.

“One day I’ll be such a big man that I’ll be the one slouching over so you can reach.” Tommy adds. Ranboo and Tubbo dissolve into fits of laughter.

Their break lasts about five minutes, which is enough time for Tommy to throw water all over Tubbo (not Ranboo, though, never Ranboo, because they all learned the hard way that Ranboo inherited the burns-with-water gene, unlike Bad). Tubbo, of course, retaliates with pulling up grass and jumping on his friend’s back to tangle it all in his hair.

It’s Dream’s turn to referee the sparring watches, which means that they move closer to the forest. Tommy always complains about the trees being in the way, but Dream always just shakes his head and tells him to learn to move around them then.

This time, however, Dream turns to his slightly older adoptive son and says, “Today, you all get to fight dirty. Use whatever you’ve got at your disposal. Including biological advantages.”

Ranboo grins, because this is code for what he likes to call ‘going ham’, which is just fancy for being allowed to teleport whenever and wherever he wants in order to win. Tubbo whoops, because this means he’s allowed to stand on the sides of the trees and climb as far up as he wants to.

Tommy pouts because all he’s got (that he knows of) are two half-grown horns and a pointy tail. He guesses he can use that as a second weapon. Plus, he’s tall, so he can use that, too. 

“Thirty seconds to run. When you hear me shout ‘go’, the match starts,” Dream instructs, “Time starts now!”

The three boys dash into the woods, weaving between trees. Tubbo starts climbing, Ranboo teleports as high as he possibly can, and Tommy makes a mad dash for a river nearby (a dirty move, he knows, but Dream said they were allowed to fight dirty today. It’s not like he would actually use the water, but it was a good precaution.).

By the time the match is over, Ranboo is declared the winner. Like before, all three boys celebrate the victory, because they’re good friends like that. Dream messes up all of their hair, even if Tommy tries to escape the sign of affection.

They make their way out of the forest and back to the field, spending the rest of the sectioned sparring time going over tips and tricks and old moves. Tubbo reckons that he can perform some of the moves with his eyes shut, or in the dark. 

“Hey, Big D,”

“Never call me that again, Toms,”

“Noted and agreed, anyway,” Tommy starts, “When do we get to spar with you and Techno?”

Dream shrugs, “You’ve already sparred with us.”

Tommy crosses his arms, “Teaching us isn’t the same as sparring with us! We should have a good fight, the lot of us, and see who wins!”

“Dad and Techno would win so, so fast, Tommy,” Tubbo says, “And I think you know that.”

Tommy huffs a bit, but nods reluctantly, “Maybe so, maybe so, but! We’ll never know until we fight them, see? So we have no proof!”

Dream laughs, shaking his head, and they resume training. Tubbo briefly wonders why they’re training, because they are hidden away. No one can hurt them here.

(He remembers what happened to Karl and retracts that statement)

(He wonders when he started thinking of his fun-loving father figure in the past tense. He’s got to get rid of that habit)

He settles for the solution that learning a good offense and defense was essential. Plus, he _did_ ask to be trained.

Tubbo tunes back in to Tommy cheering loudly, and when he looks over, he sees his friend doing a little victory and his father further securing his mask. He glances over at Ranboo, who simply says, “Dad agreed to spar with him.”

Tubbo stifles a laugh and settles down in the grass to watch, knowing that his friend will lose, but ready to cheer him on anyway. Ranboo settles next to him, less ready to cheer, but equally ready to observe.

Just as Techno takes a breath to call the start of the match, Wilbur pops out of the woods on the other end of the clearing and shouts, “You guys will never believe what Fundy and I found!”

Dream lowers his hands and stands up straight, “What’s up?”, while Tommy loudly curses his eldest brother out and flops down frustratedly.

Wilbur, paying Tommy no mind, jogs over, Fundy following at a steady pace. 

“We found this old van—"

“It’s more of an RV, actually,” Fundy interjects.

“—Shh, van, in the woods! It’s all overgrown and shit, but we could fix it up!” Wilbur rattles off.

Techno stares at his brothers like they’re crazy, but Dream looks interested. 

“Okay. Give us a minute to put things away, and we can go check it out.”

Tommy groans loudly in protesting annoyance.

“You don’t have to come see the cool abandoned van in the woods if you don’t want to, Toms, but don’t get all pissy about it,” Wilbur jokes. Tubbo gets the feeling that he’s times his interruption purposefully.

Techno and Dream clean up the used training equipment while Tubbo struggles to drag Tommy up to his feet. Tommy makes a light remark about how ‘If this were a war, you’d have better luck leaving me to respawn, little T’, because Tubbo is definitely having trouble.

“Not my fault you’re so difficult to drag around!” Tubbo laughs.

* * *

Training on hold, Tubbo follows Fundy and Wilbur into the forest, Tommy and Dream behind him. Ranboo’s opted to go hang out with Niki and Eret until they all get back. Tubbo avoids roots and clambers through the trees and taller bushes, trying not to fall too far behind. 

Up ahead, thick forest breaks open into a small clearing. Wilbur spreads his arms wide and gestures toward an RV that looks like it’s sinking in the mud of the nearby lake.

“Ta-da!” He looks very enthusiastic, jogging up to it and patting the hood, “Cool spooky woods van!”

Tommy takes one look at the thing and says, “Wil, that looks like something that someone would sell drugs out of.”

Fundy doubles over in laughter immediately, wheezing and loud, “Wil! Wil, it’s your drug van!”

Wilbur looks less amused than his brother, but still gives Tommy a tight smile, “Thank you, Thomas, thank you.”

“You are very welcome, Wilbathy.”

Fundy finds himself on the ground, beside himself with his howling amusement. Tubbo heads toward the RV, itching to find out how it may have worked. No one really used vehicles anymore, and any traces of the past had been long overgrown or reclaimed by nature. Tubbo’s really only read about automobiles, and with his recent fascination with redstone, he wonders what this may have run on. Dream catches his shoulder.

“Tubbo,” Dream isn’t trying to hinder his son at all, but he doesn’t want him getting hurt, “Be careful, okay?”

Tubbo beams up at his dad, “I will, I will! I just wanna check out the inside!”

Dream lets his shoulder go and nods. Tubbo makes his way to the dry side of the RV, finding the broken door. He motions Tommy over, and the half-demon helps him pry it off. Tubbo climbs in excitedly, Tommy following. Wilbur peeks his head in as well.

It’s a bit of a small space, but Tubbo can see a door leading to a back space. The section that they’re in has two seats near the glass panel at the very front, a wheel in front of one of them. Tubbo guesses that that is the driver’s seat, if the vehicle could drive. Maybe he can fix it up over the summer!

Tommy makes a face, “Oh this is a drug car alright. Look at all of the bugs! Smells like something died in here. Probably all of the bugs. Because of the drugs. Wilbur, your drug car killed the drug bugs.”

WIlbur snorts loudly, and Tubbo can hear Fundy start cackling again as his dad wheezes. Tubbo laughs as well, and Tommy’s got this satisfied look on his face. Tubbo pokes and prods a bit more, then gasps loudly.

“Tommy look!”

“What? What am I looking at?” Tommy leans over his shoulder. Tubbo picks up a bug that honestly looks half dead. It twitches a bit.

“The drug bug lives!”

“Holy shit. The drugs revived the drug bug. He’s like some sort of zombie or something, I reckon.”

Wilbur starts laughing harder.

“I’m gonna name him!” Tubbo decides, “And he will be the king of this van!”

“What’cha gonna name him, Tubs?” Dream asks.

“Grug. Grug the Drug Bug.”

It takes at least ten minutes for Fundy to be able to breathe properly, and fifteen for Dream to stop wheezing like a tea kettle. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Grug the Drug Bug :]
> 
> There are lines that I am very specifically reference in later chapters littered all through this story :0
> 
> One of them is more obvious in this chapter
> 
> Also! You guys now have a very very vague timeline for when this takes place!!!! Incredibly far into the future! Radiation is the original cause of hybrids, but the radiation died out a looooooooooong time ago, so now hybrids are completely natural :0
> 
> So there are some sci-fi elements, like the comm tablets, but there will also be Normal Elements, like cars and foods and stuff like that, because I say so
> 
> Also, anyone remember when I said there would be jokes about dating/marriage and then Karl got fucking yeeted before I could actually make any of those jokes


	23. 23

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Promises are made, and so are engines.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HI I POURED MY ENTIRE SOUL INTO THIS CHAPTER, IT'S MY FAVORITE ONE OUT OF ALL OF THEM SO FAR!!!!!!!!
> 
> I HIT AND PASSED THE 100 PAGE MARK WHILE WRITING IT :D
> 
> TW: Knives (no injury), implied bug death

Tubbo spends the rest of the day wandering around the RV and poking around the very, very rusty, broken engine. He’s got no idea how it works, and any of the old books inside of it are written in a strange language (the pages are too brittle to hold up for very long, anyway).

He doesn’t quite understand it, with the smooth, curving letters that seem to swim around the pages (like every other language), but he decides that he’ll figure it out eventually. All afternoon, Tommy and Dream hang around the clearing, while Fundy has retreated back to the cool air of his bedroom, and Wilbur comes and goes with cleaning supplies and various scraps of metal and other tools at Tubbo’s limited instruction.

The inner workings of the vehicle are rotted beyond repair, but Tubbo reckons that he can make a new system for it to run on, if he can find enough redstone dust. Wilbur is ecstatic at the idea, and dashes off to the mines. Tommy calls after him, loudly declaring his brother a ‘fucking nerd’. He turns and repeats the same to Tubbo, who laughs.

So Tubbo spends most of the remaining time coming up with new schematics and memorizing them. He makes a mental note to draw them all out as soon as he can. For now, though, they stay in his head, all numbers and shapes and lines. Words aren’t necessary if he’s got it all pictured out.

Wilbur returns a short while before sunset, covered in red dust and coal smudges. He’s got a bag the size of his torso resting at his side, and the widest grin anyone’s ever seen from him (at least, the widest grin without music involved). He doesn’t place the bag down, taking a glance at the sky, but he does explain it.

“I got so much fucking redstone.” He breathes.

“Wil, no, you’re just going to encourage Tubbo! You can’t just nerd-ify my friend like that. That is very un-pog of you,” Tommy crosses his arms in a fake pout. Everyone already knows that Tubbo is far more invested in the redstone business than Wilbur, or anyone they know, really.

“Tubbo’s already a nerd, you gremlin.”

Tommy sputters for a moment while Dream and Tubbo stifle their laughter to the best of their abilities. The sky turns a pinkish orange, and the group of four head back to the field, pushing through tall oak trees and the occasional spot of birch.

Niki greets them, apparently having been about to go find them herself. Dream shakes his head a bit, “Trust me, you would’ve gotten lost on the way. I’ve lived here for more than seven years, and I didn’t know that clearing existed. Safer to stay in the field.”

Niki laughs, “Oh, I would have just followed the redstone.”

Wilbur very pointedly looks anywhere that isn’t a person, because he knows that he’s the one trailing the conduction powder. Tommy snorts and elbows him.

Tubbo gasps suddenly, and Niki immediately turns her attention to him, “What’s wrong? Did you hurt yourself?”

“We left Grug!” Tubbo exclaims, and Tommy makes a pretty good Fundy impersonation with his cackling. Tubbo’s concern isn’t super genuine, anyway.

“Grug?” Niki asks. Her head tilts just the slightest, confused.

Dream shoos the group closer to the small community, “They’ll explain on the way, come on, inside you all go.”

And explain Wilbur does.

* * *

The next week is spent digging out the mud around the RV’s wheels and chiseling away hardened dirt. Eret, Techno, and Sapnap are able to roll it further away from the lake with some well-placed effort.

The week after that is spent clearing out some of the trees to make room for a few makeshift tables (‘make-shit tables’, Tommy says) and stands for supplies. Another week, and they can finally start work on the vehicle itself, tearing off rusted panels and completely gutting the engine and clearing out the inside.

By the fourth week, a well-walked path has been made from the field to the clearing, and Eret has started building up a temporary home-shack in the working area, because Tubbo spends far too much time covered in red dust and smudging coal, and often stays far into the night without realizing it. Tommy jokingly complains about how nerdy he’s getting.

Ranboo watches, sometimes, but sticks to training with Techno for the most part. It’s understandable-- the field is much farther inland, away from the water, while the RV clearing is half taken up by a giant lake.

In the middle of the fifth week, Tubbo races out of the woods yelling happily and loudly. Wilbur doesn’t bother with the door of his house, clambering out of his window to stand on the roof.

“Tubbo!” He shouts, “Did you do it?”

“It works! I got the engine to start! I did it!” Tubbo screams in response, jumping up and down.

“Holy shit!” Wilbur yells back, face aching with his grin. The two whoop and holler until everyone is in the field. Wilbur climbs down the side of the house and rushes at Tubbo, wrapping him up in lanky arms, “You did it! Oh my gods, you did it!”

“I did it! I did it! Come on, come on, come on, you gotta see it!” Tubbo easily escapes Wilbur’s grasp with no leniency from the tall man. Techno makes a comment about moving quicker next time.

(“You asked to be trained by me, so I decide when it’s done. Training is never done.” Techno had said once, and hey, it was working)

Tubbo sprints back into the forest, not having to duck under any of the low hanging branches because of his size. Even Niki has grown in the past year! She doesn’t say anything about him being so small, but Tuboo can tell that she and Eret are worried. He knows he’s okay, though, so he doesn’t pay it any mind.

He makes a quick stop at a very tiny memorial, waving a bit. Tommy’s carved ‘Grug’ into a tree, and Tubbo’s made a tiny pebble pile at the base of it. Poor Grug had gotten crushed when they were moving the RV a few weeks back, and Niki had insisted on a small funeral, so one was held.

Tubbo continues his sprint to the clearing. It’s an absolute mess, but Tubbo knows where everything is. In the center of his organized chaos sits a contraption coated in red dust, and he’s sure it looks much too complicated to be more than a jumble of bits and parts, but he knows how it functions better than he knows the back of his own hand (and he’s seen a lot of the backs of his hands in the past month or so).

Wilbur comes crashing through the forest seconds later and gasps loudly. The excitement is pouring off of him in waves, infecting everyone around him. He practically buzzes in place, and Tubbo wastes no time in explaining every single bit of the machine in minute detail.

Wilbur, of course, understands none of what Tubbo says, but he nods and encourages the conversation anyway. By the time that Tubbo is done explaining every nook and cranny, everyone has taken a seat somewhere in the cleaner bits of the workspace, aside from Wilbur, Dream, Ranboo, and Techno.

“--But,” Tubbo finishes, “this is just a prototype, and it might not work, because we haven’t got the RV itself all fixed up, so we have to do that before anything else. Then I can connect the redstone engine, and trial and error will start from there!” He grins.

Dream reaches out and ruffles his hair, “I am so proud of you, kid, you know that?”

Tubbo just smiles a little wider and hugs his dad. George crouches in front of the engine, marvelling at its intricacy. He turns to Niki and Eret.

“And you’re sure Tubbo’s only thirteen? You weren’t playing a prank with that note, right?”

Eret snorts, “No, he’s thirteen alright,” They say, but they can’t hide their pride either. Their baby brother just built an engine from scratch with barely any outside help. Niki beams as well.

“That’s my brother!” She cheers.

“He gets his cool-guy energy from me!” Tommy chimes in, and the group laughs.

* * *

The next day, Tubbo sleeps far into the afternoon, and honestly, he’s earned it. Half of the clearing settlement might not have any idea why the RV is so important, but they all get that building an Old World machine is a big deal.

Which gives Dream an excuse to do something he’s meant to for a while. He digs through his ender chest and pulls three very special items from it before sneaking off to the fire pit that Phil’s built in the center of the field. 

He spends the day sharpening and polishing three small daggers, each fancy, yet simple and practical. They’re identical, with Netherite blades dipped in enchantments. The purplish-black marble effect shines against the holographic sheen of the spells, runes carved into the very base of the blades. Each handle has an iron guard between handle and blade, smoothing out into fine oak wood, which is in turn wrapped tightly around with leather strips for better grip. 

They’re each about the size of Dream’s hand, but he knows just how much damage they can do. He’s made sure that each one is enchanted with mending and sharpness, hoping that in the event of something unfortunate, that they can help protect his boys.

(Tommy counts as one of his, he thinks. He, Tubbo, and Ranboo are surrounded by family, and the entire community functions as their parents and siblings.)

Techno wanders over, sitting next to the masked man and watching him take care of the daggers.

“Fancy.” Is all he says. Dream nods in agreement.

Sapnap had found the Netherite for them, George the iron, Bad the wood, Dream the leather, and Phil had taken special care to carve and whisper the enchantments into place. All in all, it was a group effort, and Dream personally can’t wait for the boys to see them.

Tommy comes bumbling out of his house first, yawning and stretching, and makes a beeline past Dream and Techno to Dream’s house. The kid is still in his pajamas, so he’s either going to flop down on Tubbo and go right back to sleep, or he’s going to drag Tubbo and Ranboo out of bed forcibly for some sort of mischief. 

Techno watches his youngest brother simply walk into the house, no key or knocking or anything.

“Aren’t’cha supposed t’ lock your doors?” He asks monotonously. Dream shrugs.

“He kept forgetting the key we gave him, it got annoying to get up just to open the door so early every day, we took the lock off.” Of course, safety is the top priority, but sometimes a guy needs his sleep.

(They’re all alert enough to avoid another Karl situation, anyway)

(Well, maybe not George or Bad, but Sapnap and Dream know how to wake them in emergencies)

Techno nods and tosses a few logs from cleared trees into the pit. He stands and heads to go find bits of flint and steel so that he can start a fire. Dream would’ve asked Sapnap, honestly, but he doesn’t feel like moving right now. Plus, Sapnap will find him eventually. The guy likes his hugs.

Tubbo and Ranboo follow Tommy out of the house about ten minutes later, all looking neither energized or tired, so Dream waves them over. Techno shows up shortly later, tossing sparks and a torch into the fire pit. Dramatic effect, really, since it’s not nearly dark enough out for a fire. 

Dream scoots to the side, and the younger boys sit in front of him in a semicircle. Techno stays on the other side of the fire, close enough to hear the conversation, but not close enough to be an awkward intruder on it.

“I want all three of you to know how absolutely proud I am of you,” Dream starts, “All three of you.”

Tommy grins, Tubbo smiles carefully, and Ranboo looks confused.

“I don’t have any big, important speeches for you, but Tubbo, Tommy, Ranboo, you three have grown so much. I’ve watched you become amazingly talented, smart young individuals, and I know there is nothing you can’t do if you work at it long enough.”

Dream doesn’t take his mask off, but all three kids can tell that he’s smiling. Dream wears his emotions on his sleeve very openly, so there’s no need to see his face to know that he’s sincere.

“I want to give you all something very, very special that me, Gogy, Sap, Bad, and Phil have all worked very hard to make for you, but first you need to promise me something.”

Tubbo nods quickly, Tommy agrees, and Ranboo says, “I’m good at promises.”

“Good, good. First, promise me you’ll always be the boys you are. You’re all kind, welcoming young teens, and some of the quickest learners I know. Promise me you’ll always be true to that, keep your morals straight, and make sure your head stays on your shoulders.”

“Promise.” Tommy nods earnestly.

“Promise.” Ranboo says clearly.

“Promise.” Tubbo agrees whole-heartedly.

“Second, promise me you will never hurt innocent people. Never sacrifice anyone for the ‘greater good’, never leave each other behind, and never ever throw people into the crossfire. Promise you’ll always protect those you hold close, and never turn your backs on them. You only get so many chances with the people you love, so promise to never take that for granted, and never risk taking that away from someone who’s done nothing wrong.”

“Promise.” 

“Promise.”

“Promise.”

“And finally, promise never to use these unless absolutely necessary. You could hurt yourself or others very easily with these, and while they fix themselves, they can’t fix you. They can’t heal. Only use them when you know you need to, okay? You’re to keep them in an ender chest. Never aim to kill or permanently damage unless lives are at stake. You’re all too young to feel that guilt, no matter how many times someone can respawn. Promise me you’ll only ever use these to protect and distract.”

“Promise.”

“Promise.”

“Promise.”

Dream smiles carefully behind his mask and picks up the daggers. He hands each boy one, handle facing them. He watches Tommy’s eyes recognize his father’s enchantments as he studies the handiwork, watches Tubbo’s face fill with a soft awe, like he can’t believe he’s being handed something so special, he watches Ranboo turn the blade over in careful hands.

The boys look at each other and make a silent fourth promise that Dream doesn’t think he’ll ever know. The daggers are placed gently down, and soon the masked man is tackled in a large hug. Techno smiles from the other side of the pit, poking at the fire with a long branch.

There are a lot of things that those boys are, but none of those things is a liar. They’ll keep their promises, the piglin hybrid thinks to himself.

There’s no one he’d trust more with Netherite, which he supposes could be a lapse in judgement, considering that all three boys are barely teenagers, but he can smudge the details a bit.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> God I. Love this chapter so much. This is my favorite one ever. 
> 
> Oh also the angst kicks in when Tubbo turns 14 so I had to make this one really sweet so you guys don't immediately murder me, remember the good times everyone, the good times
> 
> Karl shows up real soon (not in the next interlude, but soon)
> 
> Also sorry about Grug but he was half dead when they found him anyway, and he will be referenced in the future 
> 
> Don't worry, I'm taking newly established Ranboo Lore into account as well


	24. 24

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Karl just wants to be home already, gods-honk-it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Karl homesick moments :(
> 
> TW: mentions of death, mentions of vomit, mentions of injury, mentions of heat stroke  
> (None are detailed or depicted, all are brief mentions)

Karl would love to say that he knows exactly where he is, except that he doesn’t.

He really, really thought he did, and he can’t help but let his frustration show. One year ago, he thought he was almost home, but what he’d seen had been a mix of tree shadows, rocks, and hopes that were far too high. 

He thinks that that hurt more than the whole broken foot thing. Now, he’s done his best to not break it any more than it is, but he isn’t a healer. The village people taught him how to use magic, sure, but you can only ice your foot for so long.

He doesn’t have anything for potions, either, and it isn’t like he’s some sort of medical expert. He knows potions, snow, and exorcisms.

(He simultaneously does and does not know why he learned that last one-- probably for Beast, but that idea flopped pretty hard)

So he walks the world and hopes he’s getting closer.

“You’d think a guy would know his honking address, wouldn’t you?” He jokes one particularly warm summer morning.

Beast grunts good-naturedly in response.

“Ha-ha, very funny.” Karl grins.

They keep walking, the limp from Karl’s year-old injury fading as he gets going.

Karl’s thought about taking the Nether once or twice, but he’s always brushed the idea away quickly. It’s too hot for him and Beast anyway. 

He remembers going two times, both with his friends, and both times passing out after about ten or fifteen minutes. They always guessed that he’d gotten heat stroke both times, and simply decided to not let him into the Nether again.

Karl doesn’t exactly want to puke everywhere and pass out again, especially if his only way out would be either death or by being dragged by Beast. 

(And no offense to Beast, but the guy isn’t exactly a golden retriever, and Karl does not feel like being skewered by teeth)

He keeps walking, and when it gets hot enough that he feels like he’s melting, he tosses himself over Beast and laughs at the grumbling complaints his friend makes at having to carry him.

He really, really can’t wait to get home already. The homesickness is practically eating him alive, and he’s not sure how much longer he can survive it. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> SOON.... SOON!!
> 
> AND DON'T WORRY ABOUT THAT LAST LINE HE'S FINE HE WILL BE SAFE, HE JUST REALLY FUCKING MISSES HIS FAMILY :(
> 
> Heads up: A LOT of angst in the next chapters


	25. 25

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tubbo loves his parents.
> 
> (Why don't they love him back?)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This hurt so bad, so so bad, like I had to stop and draw a map of the field halfway through writing this bc I cried
> 
> TW: Arson, attempted murder, attempted filicide, forest fires, injury, vomiting, violence against children, family separation, implied animal death, implied murder
> 
> (The map of the area is posted on 8bit.rabb1t on instagram, and I post about this and TLR a lot on my story as well :])

At fourteen years old, Tubbo figures out his family, or at least what to call the people in it.

Dream is his dad, but Sapnap, George, Bad, and Karl are just as much of his parents as he is. Eret and Niki are his blood siblings, but Ranboo, Tommy, Fundy, Wilbur, and Techno are his brothers as well. Phil fits right where he thinks a grandpa would.

(Bad's friend Skeppy, who comes around sometimes, is someone that Tubbo considers an uncle or family friend. He doesn't live here, but he hangs around sporadically, so Tubbo thinks he counts)

He's got one major reminder of his papa, and he can't get rid of it, so he covers it with his colorful button up shirts. It's a small scar, thin, but deep, that resides just below his elbow. It stands out, ugly and pink, against his pale skin. He doesn't particularly care, but he doesn't like catching glimpses of it so it's easier to just cover.

He quite likes the scars he gets from messing around and goofing off with his brothers— they show how much fun he's had, and they're all usually just the result of not realizing they existed in the first place. 

Niki and Eret don't like to goof around like Ranboo, Tommy, and the rest of Tubbo's brothers, but he understands and doesn't suggest that they should. He finds better ways to have fun with them, like helping Niki build a bigger kitchen so she can bake to her heart's content— or playing games with Eret and helping them find exactly what they need for their own special little projects.

The three of them build a bee farm. It's something that Tubbo's always wanted to do. Eret likes building, Niki can use the honey, and Tubbo loves the bees, so it makes the perfect project. They build it near the stables and Techno's small farm. The bees pollinate the potatoes, which Techno appreciates quietly.

The realization that this is his family and always will be hits him as he’s taking care of his bees (Which apparently used to be much smaller in the Old World), and he giggles to himself happily. What a calm and happy place for such a nice revelation. It isn’t that hot out, and he can hear Tommy dragging Ranboo to go spar with him over in the field.

He can’t wait for dad to get home so that he can tell him what he thinks of his family. His parents are out now, looking for Karl while simultaneously chasing Dream down for fun. Tubbo wonders if he’ll ever be able to join them. Probably not, because they’ll find Karl before he gets old enough to help, but maybe he can join the hunts.

He smiles at that thought and heads out from the bee farm, two bottles of honey in his hands to show for his work. He sees his youngest brothers training, and grins. He’ll have to join up with them later. Today, though, he’s designated for spending with Niki, Eret, and Fundy (who doesn’t actually have any baking skills at all, but he enjoys the peace, and plays music while the other three work).

They fall into light conversation, talking about everything they want to do in the future.

“I think I’d like to live in a city, maybe open a bakery or a flower shop,” Niki muses, “But not yet. I like it here.”

Eret goes next, “I want to build the biggest castle anyone’s ever seen. Maybe even a whole town, who knows?”

“Who would live in it?” Fundy asks.

“I dunno. Maybe you guys, if it gets big enough for Niki’s shops to thrive. I want to make the safest place possible, but I want it to sustain everyone, too, yeah? There would be houses for everyone, for free! I’ll make sure of it personally.”

Niki smiles, “So would that make you the king? I could be a princess, then!” She laughs.

“Maybe! I don’t know if I want to be in _charge_ of it, but I’d build it, for sure. You could be the queen if you wanted!”

“A queen? Gosh, I don’t know how I’d handle queenship, a bakery, _and_ a flower shop.”

“We could help!” Tubbo pipes up, “Fundy could run the flower shop when you’re busy, and Eret and I can help with the bakery!” He smiles wide.

Eret nods, “Yeah! They can be family businesses!”

“Won’t they notice the difference between goat hybrids and a fox hybrid?” Fundy asks.

“Hm…” Eret thinks for a moment before they point at Fundy with a big grin, “We can say that you’re my adopted son!”

Fundy snorts, “Thanks ‘dad’. Wait— Hey, you’re only, what, two years older than me? One? They’d never believe it!”

“Fundy, you got more animal traits than the rest of us, no one can tell how old you are.” Tubbo points out. Niki snorts a bit.

“Are you saying I have a baby face?” The fox boy feigns offense. Niki’s snorts turn into full laughter.

“Maybe!” She giggles. 

“I’m disowning all of you, I hate it here, everything I do, and for what? Is this how I’m to be repaid?” Fundy dramatically flops down on the counter, and Niki’s laughter rises more.

“Fun-Fundy, your jacket—” Eret wheezes, “Look where you laid down!”

Fundy rolls off of the counter, flour clouding around him. Niki slides down to the floor, she’s laughing so much, Eret joining her. Tubbo, in his chair, struggles to stay upright from his laughter.

“Fuck!” Fundy shouts, but he laughs anyway.

* * *

It isn’t until the end of the week that Ranboo and Tubbo start getting antsy. None of the adults of the house have gotten back from their hunt, but no death messages have rung out just yet. They can take care of themselves just fine with the help of Phil and their older siblings (Tommy too, they guess, he _is_ the best at fighting out of the three of them), but that doesn’t shake their worry in the slightest.

It isn’t worry about how they’ll survive without them, but it’s worry about whether or not Dream, Sapnap, George, and Bad are safe and alive. Ranboo doesn’t want to lose the family he’s gotten, and Tubbo can’t help but worry that something got them like something got Karl.

(He really, really tries not to think about shattered comm tablets, but he can’t help it)

(His messages send, but there is no response)

* * *

The middle of the second week comes with fire. 

Tubbo wakes up to smoke and blazing walls, and he screams. Smoke clogs his throat, but he throws himself out of bed anyway. His first thought is that he needs to get Ranboo out. They’re home alone, and he just needs to get his brother awake and out.

Shaking Ranboo awake is easy, and he’s up in seconds. Tubbo grabs only three things before trying to find an exit: the dagger that dad had given him, his shard from Karl’s tablet, and Eret’s old backpack (it was filled with keepsakes and only the most important things, as well as clothes, a go-bag of sorts).

(Ranboo has a similar bag)

He pulls the bag close to his chest, shoves the shard and knife into the pocket of his pajama pants, and grabs Ranboo by the hand. Ranboo’s grabbed his own necessities in the few seconds he and Tubbo have been awake, and the two bolt.

Getting through the door and down the hall is harder than it should be. Getting out of the house is almost impossible. The walls collapse inward, the crackling of the flames is so, so noisy, and the floor feels like it could give out if they don’t step carefully. And they can’t afford to step carefully right now.

Tubbo doubles over from the smoke, filling his lungs and eyes. He tears up from the sting it causes, pinching his eyes shut. He hopes Ranboo can find something to cover his eyes with. The taller of the two reaches down, wraps his arms around Tubbo, and suddenly they’re outside.

Both boys cough violently, singed and shaken. The entire field is going up in flames, Tubbo notices too late. His voice cracks and it hurts, but he screams as loud as he can, just trying to get everyone to wake up.

Ranboo lets go of him, “I-I’m getting— I’m gonna get them, I’m g— yeah, I-”

And Ranboo is gone in a puff of green and red particles. Tubbo pulls himself to his feet, still coughing and wheezing. He sees the stable and makes a break for it. Those poor animals can’t make it out on their own, he knows. So he risks being burnt by hot metal to unlatch every stall. The horses run out as soon as possible, and he hopes they survive. He runs for the bee enclosure, opening that up next and watching the swarm dart away.

He turns his head in time to see Wilbur showing Fundy and Tommy out of his window and onto the roof, Techno following after. Phil makes it out of his own window, flying the boys down as fast as he can. Tubbo turns to see Ranboo in the field with Niki and Eret, and if he could breathe properly, he’d sigh in relief.

And then Tubbo sees them. Dad, Gogy, and Sappa are standing in the only open part of the field, the only true exit, and none of them are injured (none of them are trying to help). Sapnap’s arms are engulfed in flames, and Tubbo’s stomach twists with a realization that he doesn’t want to acknowledge.

“Dad!” He shouts, but Dream doesn’t even look in his direction. The masked man has a Netherite axe resting on his shoulder as he looks around the flames. 

“Dad?” Tubbo whispers. He realizes that he can’t see Bad anywhere, and that if he looks close enough, something stains Dream’s axe.

Eret runs over to Tubbo, “Tubbo! Are you hurt? What’s wr—” They follow his line of sight and see the trio standing where the training area used to be, “Dream? Gogy? S—”

George aims his bow faster than Eret can blink, and an arrow whizzes past the siblings. Eret pulls Tubbo down, “What the _fuck_?!” they shriek.

Dream moves faster than anyone can see, running to the side and swinging his axe. Unfortunately, Niki and Ranboo are closest to where he’s run, and a very sloppy dodge leaves Ranboo screaming, but alive. Tubbo stares in horror at the deep gash running along the left side of his brother’s face. 

Niki pulls him up and back, and the two start running as fast as they can. Tubbo loses sight of them as Eret tugs him back from another arrow. They push him behind them and yell at him to run, but he can’t. He’s frozen and he doesn’t know what to do.

Why was dad hurting Iki and Bo? Why was Gogy hurting him and Et? Why was Sappa burning down their home?

_(Tubbo is seven, and Tommy is pulling him away from George because he doesn’t want him to go home yet)_

_(Tubbo is four and a half and all he knows is that papa hurt him)_

Tubbo is fourteen and Tommy is grabbing him by the arm and dragging him away from George because he will die if he stands frozen any longer. Tubbo is fourteen and dad is trying to kill Iki and Bo.

Techno raises an axe and runs at Dream, desperate to protect the kid he found and the girl who sacrificed so much for her baby brother. Phil flies as high above the flames as he can before he’s shot down by George. The volley of arrows land deep in his wings and he falls to the burning ground.

(Techno thinks of a reverse Icarus, falling toward the sun too soon)

Phil lands in a roll and draws Sapnap’s attention. A sword against fire isn’t the greatest combination, but it’s what he has, and he isn’t trying to kill Sapnap. 

(And gods, it’s too hot, barely anyone can breathe properly, but the trio seems fine)

“Ranboo!”

Tubbo snaps his attention to his brother and his sister in time to see his d— in time to see Dream raise his axe and slam the handle into his brother’s skull. Ranboo crumples like sand, hitting his head once more on the edge of the fire pit before going limp on the ground. Niki scrambles to reach him as Techno holds Dream back. 

Wilbur and Fundy are at the edge of the woods, against their better judgement, and Tommy is trying to drag Tubbo to reach them as well. Tubbo’s never actually tried to get away from Tommy before, but he screams and kicks and pulls and uses every move Techno and Dream have taught him, trying to scramble away to help. 

He can only watch through fat tears and tangled hair as Eret falls to an arrow, as Techno takes hit after hit, as Niki tries to drag Ranboo away, as Phil fails at blocking Sapnap again. 

“Dad!” Tubbo yells, and no one looks his way.

George leaves Eret on the ground and heads to help Dream and Sapnap. Fundy darts out to drag them back to Wilbur, Tommy, and Tubbo. Phil watches as the battle leans more and more into Dream’s favor, and he makes the hardest decision he’s ever made.

He spreads his broken wings and flies as best as he can to Techno, Niki, and Ranboo. He lands on Dream, knocking him to the ground, and shouts at the two conscious twenty-two year olds, “The water! Go to the water! Get in the boat and get the fuck out of here!”

“Phil—”

“Now, Niki, now!”

Techno panics and pulls Niki up. He tosses Ranboo on his back, throws an arm around Niki, and makes a run for the shitty little dock they built on the other side of the thinner part of the forest. It’s so far away, but he goes as fast as he can. Phil follows, sacrificing his wings because he does not have a shield, and he needs to protect his family.

He can only hope that the others have heard him.

(They haven’t, and he’ll forever regret not turning around to check)

* * *

Wilbur and Fundy try to drag Eret back as best as they can, because George and Sapnap and Dream are now focused on them, Tubbo, and Tommy. Tubbo does the last thing he ever thought he would do, and he reaches into his pocket and pulls out the dagger he was gifted. Tommy notices and stifles a gasp.

“Th-the van! Go to the van! There’s a med kit in the— in the— in the building by it! Help Et!” He cries. 

Wilbur and Fundy comply, knowing that Eret is the priority. They pull them down the forest path and toward the van. Tommy and Tubbo stay at the edge of the path, and Tubbo sees that Tommy’s pulled his out as well. He wonders if Ranboo has his.

Tommy’s always wanted to duel with Dream, but not like this. One more time, Tubbo tries calling out.

“Dadda! Why?” 

Tubbo has never felt so cold as he does when Dream levels his gaze at him (and the fire is so hot, scorching, and Tubbo can’t feel a bit of it).

“I’m not your dad. I have no kids. This is my land, and I want you _gone_.”

Tubbo’s knees give out at that, and Sapnap chimes in.

“I’ll burn this whole place down to the ground, with all of you in it! I don’t care, man, you burn or you don’t, it’s not my problem!”

Tubbo looks to George in one last ditch effort, “Gogy…?”

George yawns wide, bored and indifferent, “I’m too tired to deal with you.”

Tommy screams and shouts and curses all three of them out, but Tubbp hears none of it. He crumbles to the ground, forearms being the only thing keeping him up. Tommy wraps his arms around Tubbo’s torso and drags him up, all dead weight and snot and tears.

Tubbo sobs, back to Tommy’s chest as the taller boy drags him further into the forest. He can’t tear his eyes away from Dream, who turns to Sapnap and nods. George holds a hand to his mouth as he yawns again and turns around, walking back toward the blazing wreckage. Sapnap grins wolfishly and engulfs his entire being in fire until all Tubbo can see is a pillar of flame and two glowing, golden eyes. Dream takes a single step back and watches as Sapnap throws ball after ball of fire toward the forest— toward Tubbo and Tommy.

All Tubbo can hear is Tommy’s cursing as he picks up the pace. They make it past their silly little bug-grave, and do not stop as they watch the carving catch fire. They make it to the clearing, and the kids (gods, they’re only children) burst into the van.

Wilbur and Fundy take one look at the two and their faces fall. 

Tommy, who’s singed despite his resistance to flame, who’s grim expression doesn’t fit right on his face, still young with baby fat and teeth protected by braces he’d been complaining about only hours earlier.

Tubbo, who’s falling apart in his best friend’s arms, who can’t stand on his own from the shock, who’s still only barely five feet tall, whose sister has not followed, who’s clutching his backpack straps and dagger like they’re the only thing keeping him alive, whose family has just turned against him in seconds.

Tubbo, who is parentless once more, and sobbing so hard that he barely communicates in time that he’s going to puke. 

Tommy, who rubs his best friend’s back over the trash can, tries to ignore the retching sounds, and mourns his older brother and father.

Tubbo and Tommy, who are only children.

Tommy and Tubbo, who Wilbur swears to protect as the forest burns around all that they have left.

All that they have left, which is each other, an RV that doesn’t even work, and a lake.

_Why them…?_

* * *

**_[BadBoyHalo_ ** _was slain by_ **_Dream]_ **

**_[Skeppy_ ** _was slain by_ **_Dream]_ **

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> IF YOU WATCHED TODAY'S STREAM DO NOT SPOIL IT IN THE COMMENTS BELOW, AS NOT EVERYONE CAN WATCH THEM LIVE! 
> 
> .
> 
> I'm in so much emotional pain rn, I cried like twice while writing and editing this :'))
> 
> ALSO DW ABOUT BAD AND SKEPPY, RESPAWN IS A THING
> 
> .
> 
> So how are we feeling?


	26. 26

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Aftermath

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> EDIT I FORGOT THE NOTES FUCK
> 
> TW: MENTIONED FOREST FIRE, IMPLIED ABUSE, SAD FAMILY SHIT, INJURY, DEATH (RESPAWN)

Niki doesn’t know how to cope. It all feels so unreal to her, so fake and distant, like this is all just a dream (she shudders at the thought of his name now) and she’ll wake up soon.

Like if she concentrates hard enough, she’ll be back home with Eret and Tubbo, helping with the bees and horses and baking goods instead of sitting in the bottom of a boat and cradling her brother’s limp and unresponsive body as she rocks from side to side.

She holds Ranboo close, bandages sloppily wrapped around his head from the deep wound on his face, among other Dream-inflicted injuries. Dream, who promised to protect, care for, and nurture him and everyone in the field. And yet, here Niki sits, afraid to move Ranboo too much, because what if she makes it worse?

The boat rocks to and fro in the middle of an endless ocean, small, dinky, and not meant to hold all four of the people crammed into it. Niki has taken the floor, because it’s the only space where they can lay Ranboo out, and she can’t risk the lull of the boat slamming his head into the sides, and there’s not enough space on the two benches, because Techno has to take the back one in order to bandage up Phil’s wings, and Phil has to row, because it isn’t safe to stop moving, because Dream might be after them with Sapnap and George.

Techno assures her that Sapnap at the very least can’t follow. The water isn’t a good place for him to fight. Dream is smart enough to see that, he thinks. George seemed to only really follow those two. Techno says that Dream is the only threat right now, and that he probably won’t follow them out here.

Niki checks over the edge of the boat every few minutes, poking her head up and ignoring Phil’s pained expression. He knows that none of the others followed, but Niki won’t give up hope. It’s been almost five hours, and they’re too far out to see anything, not even a strip of land when they look back. 

There are no other boats on the water.

A pod of dolphins push the boat, letting Phil take a break from his rowing. His shoulders ache, and he won’t tell the others, but he can’t feel his wings. He’s sure that if Techno’s bandages weren’t keeping them folded up, they’d hang limp down over Niki and Ranboo.

His heart is in shambles, but it feels as if Dream’s taken his heel and crushed it up just a bit more. He thought he knew the young men raising his son’s best friends, but maybe he was wrong. He hopes that he isn’t. He prays to the gods that they find their senses.

Techno watches the water with trained eyes. He’s out of his element here, he isn’t made for water, but he’s sure that if he spends enough time out here, he can mold it to his advantage. He’s already thinking of revenge, of all of the ways that he can make the trio pay.

He wants them to pay for tricking him into trusting them. He wants them to pay for ruining his family’s home, their peace, their lives. He wants them to pay for separating them, for--

Techno takes a shaky breath and tries to push through the thought. He wants them to pay for killing off his brothers and two of their own children. He won’t say it out loud, but he knows that Phil and Niki saw George shoot Eret down. He knows that if they can do that, they’d have had no issue killing the rest of them.

And gods, Tommy and Tubbo were only fourteen. Ranboo is only fourteen. Techno won’t say how he doesn’t think that the kid will make it. 

Respawn is a thing, he knows, but the field is burnt and gone. If Karl couldn’t make it back within the past six years, Techno doesn’t have a lot of faith in two kids and three young adults. He would love to believe in his brothers, but they aren’t as competent and directional as Phil. 

(None of them know where spawn is, anyway)

(Phil found them on his travels, too far from spawn to have been new, and too young to be alone)

Niki seems to read his thoughts, holding the youngest a little closer. They need to find land, quickly, and they need to build a bed before Ranboo goes up in smoke. It doesn’t have to be good, she tells herself, it just needs a blanket and something to use as a pillow. The dolphins seem to swim a little faster.

Ranboo’s crappy little bag sits next to Niki, and the dagger sticking out of it catches the light every so often. Niki’s heart aches when she realizes something.

Sapnap, George, and Dream made the blades, forged them and sharpened them, but Phil whispered careful protections into them.

(Sapnap, George, and Dream attacked without remorse and shot Eret down, but Phil raised his wings and shielded them as they ran)

Niki realizes that out of the four, she is lucky to have escaped with Phil. She does not think she would have made it otherwise, and that thought chills her to the bone.

Niki lets herself cry to the sound of the waves and the rocking boat.

* * *

The next few days leave Tubbo a complete mess. Tommy and Wilbur are at least trying to get some sort of system set up, and Fundy is working on getting Eret fixed up, but Tubbo only finds himself sitting on the bed next to Eret, either crying or forcing himself not to think.

Eret is, in short, not doing good. George has impeccable aim and custom arrowheads, and no matter what Fundy does, Eret just isn’t waking up. Their skin is unnaturally pale, and it only gets lighter as the first day drags on. When they start turning to dust before Tubbo’s eyes, Tubbo screams and does not stop until his throat gives out and Wilbur’s got his arms wrapped tight around him. 

Tubbo balls his fists into the back of Wilbur’s yellow sweater (which smells of sweat and smoke) with an iron grip. He does not let go until Wilbur swears on his life that Tommy can take over for him, and that he won’t go far. Tubbo spends the rest of the afternoon sobbing into his friend’s shoulder. Tommy spends the afternoon crying right back.

Fundy spends the afternoon trying to drown out two grieving teenagers, and trying to ignore his own grief.

Eret respawns some time between one and two pm the next day, screaming from the pain of having their body be ripped apart and glued back together, atom by atom. Tubbo latches onto them and does not let go. They don’t let go of him, either. 

Fundy, Wilbur, and Tommy keep their distance and mourn their own family. Phil, who took them all in without a second thought, and Techno, who protected them no matter what.

Fundy thinks about when Phil found him-- about when Wilbur led him back to little Fundy, hiding out in a cave by the river at only five years old. Wilbur had been seven. Phil did not ask them any questions, did not ask where they came from. He had taken them home to a little piglin boy, only a year older than Fundy himself, and told the boy that Fundy and Wilbur were his new siblings. 

Techno had welcomed them without much hesitation. Techno grew up with them, and when Fundy was eight, Phil had walked in the door one rainy night with a bundled baby demon in his arms and called him their new brother. Techno welcomed that baby, too, and the family grew.

Fundy remembers curling up around a crying Tommy and letting him play with his ears until he calmed down. Wilbur had wandered over and sat next to his youngest brothers, Techno following. Fundy remembers Phil taking a picture with his tablet. He wonders if he still has it.

Fundy misses his dad and his older brother. 

Wilbur busies himself with building up with what little they all have. Their section of the forest is gone, and a thick layer of ash litters the ground. When he walks, he has to watch his feet so he doesn’t trip over burnt stumps. It isn’t a wasteland, but it’s close to one. He hopes it grows back. 

Their pocket called home is gone, that is true, but Wilbur looks on the positive side: not all of the trees have burnt, and they have water. There is a bed in the RV that all of them have crowded onto to take a nap at least once (to be safe), and he’s been finding ingredients for potions. He’s lucky, so, so lucky that he’d left a brewing stand in the RV out of forgetfulness.

He’s sure his sides are bruised from how tight Tubbo had held onto him, and he winces when he pokes his ribs to check. The poor boy is not prided on his strength, but Wilbur supposes that grief and adrenaline does wonders to small kids.

Wilbur refuses to grieve with the others. He’s the oldest, and therefore he needs to take care of them. 

(He’s already failed Eret, and he does not want to think about what would happen to Tubbo if they hadn’t force-set Eret’s respawn point)

He walks to the nearest living tree and cuts it down. It’s too hot out, residual heat from the flames mixed with the high sun and his wool sweater, but it isn’t like he’s got anything else to change into. They need the wood. He isn’t sure why. He just knows that this is probably the first step to rebuilding.

(Or maybe he just needs something to take his anger and grief out on, he thinks, as the axe swings down again)

(He pointedly does not think about Dream cleaving the axe down toward Ranboo, toward his dad’s wings)

And Tommy does not know what to do. 

His best friend is borderline unresponsive, his other best friend is missing somewhere with his brother and his dad, along with his best friend’s older sister, whose twin has just died and resurrected, and his remaining brothers are still in shock.

So is Tommy, loathe as he is to admit it.

Up until Eret wakes up, he huddles with Tubbo and cries his heart out. He thinks he deserves that much, at least. No, actually, he deserves the world after all of the shit that just happened. That, and more. The whole lot of them deserve so much more.

He watches Fundy pour over potions, and calls them drugs to lighten the mood.

“You know, since we’re in the drug van and all.”

It gets a good laugh out of Fundy before he starts coughing from the lingering ashes in the air. Tommy frowns and goes out to fill their dented little bucket back up with water. It isn’t the most sanitary option, drinking still water, but it’s all they have. They can’t risk the journey to the ocean right now.

Tommy thinks for a very, very long time, and comes to the conclusion that Tubbo’s got every right to react how he has. Tommy wants to punch the ever-loving shit out of Dream right about now for what he’s said and done. He knows fuck all about Tubbo and Eret and Niki, but he’s got two functioning braincells, and if he rubs them together enough, he gets a pretty good idea of where they came from. Nowhere good.

And Tommy won’t ever forgive Dream, or Sapnap, or George, for taking all they’ve done for those three and ripping it away in seconds. He corrects himself, four, because Ranboo doesn’t deserve that bullcrap, either. 

Tommy has passed grieving, he thinks, and gone straight to anger. Techno’s influenced him that much, at least. He’s sure that his big brother is out there, somewhere, plotting some epic revenge comeback. Tommy challenges himself with coming up with one to rival it.

Eret doesn’t say much when they wake up, throat red and raw from their screams. They hug Tubbo as tight as they can, watching their baby brother heave and sob, curled up into a tight ball in their lap and refusing to let them go. They’re not sure that they _want_ him to let go. 

Eret tucks their chin carefully between Tubbo’s horns and tries humming a broken tune they’ve never heard before. The third day goes slowly, and Eret knows from Wilbur’s brief glances and Fundy’s limited medical knowledge being focused on only them that Niki isn’t there. That Ranboo and Technoblade aren’t there. That Phil isn’t there.

On the fourth day, they try to move Tubbo. From their understanding, he hasn’t moved from their side or the corner of the room since their respawn was set. They catch Tommy whispering to Tubbo about how he’s got to get up now, because Wilbur found food. Tubbo makes a whining noise and curls up further. Tommy stays for a few more minutes with a frown before leaving.

Eret tries shuffling around to sit up, shifting Tubbo away from their lap for a few moments. Tubbo panics, so they move fast so that they can still wrap an arm around his shoulders.

“I promise I’m not leaving. I’m not going anywhere, I promise, I’m here,” They whisper. Tubbo locks his arms around them again, and they resign themself to staying vaguely bedridden.

They frown, and wonder where the others have been sleeping, if they’ve slept at all. Tommy walks in again a little while later with some sort of poorly cooked meat and sits with them. The three of them pick at the food quietly, and Eret watches Tommy take his comm tablet out every so often. They lean over, curious, to see what he’s checking. 

They really wish they hadn’t.

_**TommyInnit:** @Ph1lza dad?_

**[ Error_msg:** connection lost **]**

_**TommyInnit:** @nihachu Niki? @Ranboo Bo? @Technoblade Techno?_

**[ Erro_msg:** connection lost **]**

_**TommyInnit:** hello?_

**[ Error_msg:** connection lost **]**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> IM TYPING SO FAST BC IM EDITING THIS BC I FORGOT TO ADD THE NOTES FUCK BUT HI HOW ARE YOU


	27. 27

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This wasn't what he was expecting.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This time I'll remember to put the notes in before posting
> 
> TW: Implied fire, yelling, arguing

Karl is so incredibly tired of walking, but he doesn’t think he’ll ever stop. He sighs, pulling his hoodie off and tying it around his waist. Beast makes a face, and Karl makes one right back.

“Sue me, it’s hot.”

They keep walking, losing their way in the thick forest as Karl talks his way through stories that he and Beast have heard millions of times at this point. 

Karl keeps walking when Beast stops, thinking that he’s just found something to sniff at, but finds himself being yanked back as Beast picks him up by the back of his shirt like some sort of cat.

“What?” Karl whines.

And then the smoke hits his nose. He realizes the danger they’re in within a few seconds, and sees it a moment later. Fire blazes in the distance, but he doesn’t get a good look at it before Beast turns around and bolts. 

Karl hears the crackle of the flames and decides that he does not want to be left behind. He isn’t the most flexible person on the face of the earth, but his years away have given him enough to work with. He swings himself a little and feels Beast slow down when he figures out what’s happening, though not by much.

Karl gets the momentum, and swings himself around hard enough at the same time that Beast lets go. For a terrifying second, he’s mid-air with no stability in sight, and then he lands on rough fur and feels Beast break into a sprint once again.

“Go, go, go!” He knows it isn’t helpful, but it’s all he can think of to say just then.

So Beast runs, and Karl holds on for dear life.

* * *

It takes three weeks for Karl to convince Beast to head back to the forest to see what happened.

Karl stands next to Beast this time, just in case, because that’ll make it easier for him to jump on. They walk through the forest that’s still standing and watch as it slowly gets darker, as more ash litters the ground, until it’s thick enough to remind Karl of stone.

He puts a hand on Beast’s side, just in case, as they get closer. Karl thinks he can see something in the distance among the flatter lands, but they still have a bit more of tree-space before he can really tell.

They make it to the edge of the forest when Karl can tell what the thing is-- some sort of vehicle. It’s big and boxy, and just as he squints to see more, a boy pops out of the door. He storms toward Karl and Beast, who snarls and takes a step back.

Karl registers the tall kid as Tommy (the same dirty blonde hair, the same red horns, the same flicking and angry tail) and he almost starts crying right then and there. And then he registers the absolute rage on the kid’s face and steps back like his friend.

“Tommy? Is that y—"

“Get the fuck away from here, you bitch! What the hell are you doing here?! Go! Out! Leave!” Tommy shrieks. Wilbur walks out of the van with an axe held dangerously in his hands.

The boys look so much older than they should— more grim.

“Wh—"

“You heard him, Jacobs, get out.” Wilbur’s voice isn’t as steady as Tommy’s, but it is degrees colder, and not in the good way.

“What are you gonna do to us, huh? Sick that thing on us? Are you gonna try to fucking kill us, too? Haven’t you _assholes_ done enough to us?” Tommy screams, “Leave! Why are you just standing there? Go!”

Karl stumbles backward a few more steps, “What—? I wouldn’t—"

“Oh _sure_ you wouldn’t, because you’re just so nice and happy! Just so fucking perfect and sunshine-y, the same old Karl that didn’t _fucking_ come back! You probably ran off with your tail between your legs on purpose, didn't you? _Didn’t you_?! Saved your own ass! Get out!” Tommy punctuates his last word with a shove, and Karl falls back onto Beast, who growls a bit louder.

Karl looks toward Wilbur, “I swear I’d never hurt y—”

“That’s what they said, too.” Wilbur snaps, and before Karl can ask who ‘they’ was, he repeats Tommy. “Get _out_.”

Karl hesitates, looks toward the van, and sees Fundy through the back window. Fundy, who is very clearly blocking the window on purpose. Tommy takes a step forward, and Karl gets the message. He takes one step back, then another, and another, until he’s running back with Beast close by.

_What the honk happened…?_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> :(


	28. 28

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Niki's Interlude

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> NIKI TIME NIKI TIME NIKI TIME
> 
> TW: reference to injury, reference to fire, amnesia due to injury

Niki is twenty-two years old and about five foot two. Her hair is blonde and reaches just past her shoulders in thick waves. It hides fluffy, white, goat’s ears, and, on occasion, light blue eyes. Her legs and feet are always covered by baggy pants or long skirts, because she does not like being stared at for looking like a satyr (goat mermaid, she remembers Tommy saying, and she remembers not feeling bad about the comment for once. She remembers feeling welcome).

Niki is twenty-two and sitting in a freezing cave and praying to the gods that she’ll be able to stay awake until Phil and Techno get back.

She looks over toward Ranboo, who she sometimes forgets is just a boy and barely a teenager. He’s far taller than average, and he is logical. He does not steal, but trades. He does not curse, but makes facial expressions that used to make Tommy cackle for hours. 

He does not say anything, but stares absently at his dagger. Niki sighs carefully, scooting over.

“Are you cold?” She asks. Ranboo startles and looks over at her.

“Mmmno.” He speaks quietly, with hums and hesitation, and Niki’s heart breaks. 

She knows he’s likely still in shock, or at least still processing what happened. He’s only woken up recently, about an hour after Techno decided it was time to explore the tundra wasteland, Phil following. Niki pulls the edges of Phil’s jacket a bit tighter over her shoulders, watching her breath cloud the air.

She watches the cave entrance, pulling her knees to her chest and laying her chin on her crossed arms. Ranboo copies her in the corner of her eye. She knows he’s lying when he says he isn’t cold. She isn’t stupid. Even Techno was shuddering when they docked. Four days on the water left them desperate for any land, no matter how bone-chilling.

A few minutes more pass, and Niki tosses the side of Phil’s large jacket over Ranboo. She can’t have him freezing on her, not out here. The makeshift bed in the far back of the cave can only fix so much. He gives in and huddles a bit closer, holding on to the sleeve. 

Niki laughs quietly, “It is our ‘get along’ jacket, huh?”

Ranboo hums in response, and nods a few moments later. The action seems to cause him pain, as he winces and stops, resting his head back on his arms. Niki doesn’t blame him. He’d gotten hit hard, and her own head aches in sympathy.

She wraps an arm around the kid’s shoulder and hopes that Techno and Phil return.

It’s so cold out here.

* * *

The father-son duo return a few hours later, a bag packed stiff over Phil’s shoulder, both wearing thick, warm-looking clothes. Niki looks up, hope swirling behind her eyes. Phil grins right back, quickly making his way over and dropping the bag in front of them.

(Ranboo scoots backward)

“Techno’s found a village further south. We can’t head there just yet; storm’s still going strong.” Phil says, unpacking the bag and handing Niki and Ranboo each a set of clothes that feel so warm that Niki just wants to curl up and go to sleep right then and there. She and the others have been stuck in thin pajamas for so long, and Phil was lucky to have fallen asleep in his usual clothes when the fires started.

“Gave us supplies ‘n clothes ‘til then.” Techno explains.

“You’re sure you didn’t scare them into giving us these?” Niki jokes. Phil’s smile thins. He mumbles something about needing to get Niki and Ranboo warm.

“Pull them on over your clothes, okay? The extra layer will help.” He instructs.

Niki shrugs off her part of Phil’s jacket and quickly tugs the warm replacements on over her pajamas. The fabric feels inches thick, and is lined with fur. The wool is grey-blue with brown bits. It is itchy, but it is comfortable, and Niki doesn’t feel as cold anymore. She sighs in content and thanks Phil and Techno repeatedly. 

Ranboo stares at the clothes in front of him for a good minute or two, and Niki notes his dazed eyes. She frowns a little and taps his shoulder.

“You too.”

“Oh.” Ranboo’s mind catches back up with him, it seems, as the information settles, and he quickly throws the winter clothes on as well. All of the sleeves are a bit too short for his limbs, but Niki reckons that she can probably figure out how to lengthen them.

“How are you holding up?” Phil asks the boy as he and Techno settle down. “Pain?”

Ranboo’s delayed answers are worrying, but he answers nonetheless.

“Hummmm hurts,” He agrees, “Dunno.”

Phil frowns, “Alright. When the storm lets up, we’ll get to the village as soon as we can. They’ve got a doctor there that we can probably take you to.”

“Okay.”

“Get some sleep, kiddo.”

“Okay.”

Niki helps Ranboo toward the back of the cave, makes sure he doesn’t hit his head as he lies down on the thin ‘bed’, and sits nearby. She waits for his breathing to even out before looking back at Phil and Techno.

"Something feels wrong," She starts, and Phil nods, "He is too quiet— and maybe he's just processing, but—"

"But his reaction time is wrong, 'n he's not all there." Techno finishes. Niki nods. 

"Yes. He doesn't… I do not think he knows where he is." She whispers. 

"None of us know where we are." Techno replies, leaning on the cave walls.

"No, not like— not like that," Niki pulls her knees to her chest once more, "I think— I think Dream hit him too hard… and then his fall, and the axe—"

"You think his memories are messed up." Phil concludes. 

Niki doesn't want to nod, but she does anyway, because Phil is right. That is exactly what she thinks.

"Phil, he didn't recognize me when he woke up, and I do not think he recognized you two when you walked in."

"Hold on, back up. What do you mean he didn't recognize you?" Techno asks.

Niki sighs.

"When he woke up, he just stared at me. I did not see any sign that he remembered any of… and of anything. He sat up, and didn't say anything until I did. He got this look when I said 'Hey, Ranboo', like when you find something you were looking for. I— I don't think he knew his name. He doesn't know ours."

Phil curses quietly, sparing Ranboo a glance. He lets his back hit the stone wall and runs a hand through his hair. 

"What do you suppose we do about it?" He asks, more to the air than to the two young adults. 

Niki shrugs anyway, burying her chin in her knees. Techno hums in acknowledgement of the question, but he doesn't answer either.

Phil's raised four boys on his own, but he's never dealt with this before— he's never dealt with being stuck in a cave with one of his sons, his neighbor, and a severely injured fourteen year old in the middle of a blizzard, much further south than they were ever supposed to be, because the fourteen year old's parents had burnt their home, and their comm tablets won't sync to anyone they need them to. 

He lets his head fall back as he stares at the cavernous ceiling. 

"Gods, we're screwed, aren't we?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Taking Ranboo memory lore into account with this chapter :] 
> 
> Phil :(


	29. 29

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Eret just wants their baby brother to be safe.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really need to fix my posture, my neck hurts from leaning over the computer fnfncnnfndnx
> 
> TW: arguments, referenced abuse, mentioned burns, Eret in pain, implied panic attack, implied flashbacks

Tubbo is fifteen and a self-proclaimed soldier. He’s fought his parents for a whole year, and he pretends that it doesn’t bother him.

Wilbur has given them all— Fundy, Tommy, Eret, Tubbo —a reason to fight. One year ago, L’manburg was founded, because they needed a home, and if Dream was up in arms over them being on ‘his land’, then they would just have to make their own.

For one year, Tubbo has died and been reborn countless times along his family. They’re never able to land a hit on Dream, George, or Sapnap (nicknames got dropped a week into the fighting), but they’re getting closer. Tubbo doesn’t know if it’s a good thing that he’s got a bet with Tommy for who can injure Dream first, but he does, and so far, Tommy is in the lead.

When he isn’t keeping watch, Tubbo spars with Tommy and Fundy. Eret still hates sparring, and Tubbo knows why, but he still tries to teach them how to at least block and dodge properly (“There’s more to it than just ‘get out of the way’, Et, please.”). 

Tommy comes up with new moves, new strategies, new plans, and Wilbur smiles at him proudly every time. Eret frowns every time.

(They are not disappointed— no, they are proud of Tommy, but he should not have to be able to come up with such extravagant plans, should not have to fight for his life at fifteen)

(But who are they to speak?)

Eret focuses on building walls, large and looming and, as Tommy says, ‘very fuck-off-ish’. They are tall, made out of blackstone and yellow concrete, and Tubbo enjoys climbing them and pacing the tops on his shifts. He can spot Dream’s settlement if he looks hard enough, far in the distance. He does not want to talk about it.

Tubbo plants trees that Fundy grows with magic, and watches the leafy branches get taller each day. They’re magnificent and stretch far above the walls. They make for good look-out posts, and Tubbo plans to hitch a swing to it eventually. 

About a month after the fires, Tommy and Tubbo had gone back to the houses to see what they could save. Tommy had found his old music player (Tubbo fixed it as soon as they made it back to the van), and Tubbo had rooted around until he’d found Ranbo’s old knife. It was dinky and almost broken, but he’d had it with him when Tubbo and Techno had found him in the Nether, so Tubbo took it back to the van with him.

Patches had shown up not long after, making her home under the van. Tubbo insisted on bringing her inside, where she’s lived since. 

Currently, Tubbo sits on the top of the wall and watches Sapnap’s blurry form pace back and forth. He’s too far to be a threat, but Tubbo keeps a trained eye on him. The teen subconsciously rubs the back of his hand, which holds a burn scar from earlier in the year. 

Tubbo doesn’t like the heat.

He watches Sapnap tire himself out and head back over the hill, he watches Karl emerge from the forest once more. Tubbo stands up quickly, standing as tall as he can and casting a shadow down. He stares Karl down and hopes that the man will just turn around and leave. The beast that usually follows him is nowhere in sight. Karl walks toward the walls, and Tubbo feels his resolve crack just a little. 

“What do you want?” He shouts down. He hasn’t yet spoken to Karl, and this is about the eighth time that he’s showed up. Each time before, Tommy would run at him, sword raised and curses shrieking until he left.

Karl looks up at Tubbo and smiles so gently that Tubbo almost cries. Almost.

“Tubbo, can I talk to you? Please?” And he sounds so sad that Tubbo scrambles down as fast as possible. He stands at the gate apprehensively, like Karl will change his mind and attack.

(Or worse— leave)

Karl doesn’t do either of those things. He’s got tears in his eyes that Tubbo can see from his safe distance away, and he opens his arms in a motion Tubbo hasn’t seen from him since he was eight years old. 

“Hey, kiddo.”

Tubbo knows that this is really a horrible decision, because he’s got no idea whether or not Karl will turn without notice, or if Dream is nearby, but he lets his guard down anyway and runs into the hug. It’s just as comfortable and homey as he remembers, and he’ll be the first to admit that he starts crying right then and there, hugging his missing parent (and probably the only one not actively trying to kill him, aside from Bad) like he’ll disappear if he lets go.

(It’s like Bad and Karl have switched places, and Tubbo doesn’t know how to deal with all of the loss, so he ignores it)

“I won’t hurt you, I’ll never hurt you, I pinkie swear.” Karl mutters, and Tubbo gives a watery laugh.

“Swear on your honks?”

“Yeah,” Karl says, “Swear on my honks. I’m gonna fix this. I’m gonna fix it. It’s gonna be okay.”

Tubbo plays into the fantasy of believing Honk (who is the only one outside of L’Manburg that deserved his nickname), and hugs him just a bit tighter. It only lasts a few minutes, Eret coming up from their shitty little mine.

“Tubbo? Who’s that? What’s going on?” Eret is immediately on the defense, quickly striding over and standing to their full height as an intimidation tactic. Karl tenses, and Tubbo knows that Tommy’s going to follow soon enough. He and Eret were mining together, and Eret doesn’t like leaving the kids alone.

“My name’s Karl.” Karl introduces himself, carefully letting go of Tubbo. “I haven’t seen you around. What’s your name?”

Eret carefully pulls Tubbo behind them, “Not telling you. Why is Tubbo crying?” 

Tommy pops out of the mines, not noticing the situation just yet.

“I missed him.” Tubbo says quietly, like it’s a crime. Eret deflates a bit, looking at their little brother. Tubbo looks so tired and small. They look back at Karl.

“Are you going to hurt him?”

Tommy notices and storms over, curses sailing, “What did I say, bitch? Out! Get out! You aren’t allowed here, you fucking asshole! Go frolic with those monsters! Go!” He doesn’t have a weapon, but he does have his height, and Karl may have grown, but he is not taller than the angry teen.

Karl backs up quickly, but doesn’t leave. “Tommy, please, I wo—”

“Like hell you won’t! What the fuck makes you think that I trust you? You’ve got a lot of nerve, showing up h—”

A low growl cuts Tommy off, and he jumps back in time to avoid a nasty swipe of some sort of claw. Karl shouts, “No, don’t hurt them!”

Tommy watches Karl step between the beast and him. Karl holds up his arms in a defensive position. Tommy sees Eret scoot Tubbo back in his peripheral.

“No. You promised you wouldn’t do anything! You can’t just break a promise like that! You almost hurt Tommy!” Karl scolds, and the beast grumbles right back.

“Nuh-uh. You said you trusted me on my own. You knew I was going to be fine.”

Another growl.

“Go back home. I’m not happy with you— this was the one time I actually got to see Tubbo. Go. I’ll be there in a bit.”

The beast stays for a few moments, staring Karl down, but eventually huffs and turns, walking back toward the forest. Karl’s shoulders slump as he looks back toward Tommy, Tubbo, and Eret.

“Look, I’m sorry, I didn’t know he was g—”

“Leave.” Tommy says, backing up some. He stands between Karl and Eret, who gets the message and takes a few more steps closer to the van.

“Tommy, please, I—”

“Leave! We’ve told you time and time again, and you’re not fucking listening! You put us in danger! You’re just going to end up helping those shitheads, anyway! Get _out_!” Tommy screams, and Eret is the only one that notices that Tubbo is still crying.

They look between Karl and Tommy, backing up more. It’s too familiar. Too familiar. Too familiar. Eret turns around, scoops Tubbo up, and runs away, running and running and running. They end up hiding in the mines with Tubbo, holding him tightly and trying to calm themself and their little brother down. They bury their face between his horns and will the fighting to go away. No sound from the squabble reaches far down underground in the twisting halls of their chosen hide out.

Fundy finds them about half an hour later and quietly coaxes them both out with the promise that the fighting is over, and that Tommy is calm. Eret keeps Tubbo close by anyway, still carrying him. They don’t really want to let him go yet. Fundy doesn’t say a thing about it.

In the RV, Eret climbs onto the bed, putting Tubbo down next to them and keeping an arm around him. Tommy clambers on, sitting on Tubbo’s other side. He leans on his friend and whispers his apologies to both siblings.

Eret doesn’t miss how Tubbo seems to droop more at the apology. They reach their arm a little further and pat Tommy on the shoulder gently. Tommy nods carefully. Eret has accepted his apology.

Wilbur comes in an hour later, when Eret is the only one awake (Fundy snoring at the end of the bed), his axe heavy in his hands. When he lays across his family (his people, if he’s to be the ‘president’ of L’manburg), Eret smells the ever-present scent of freshly chopped wood.

Wilbur stays up for a little longer, but dozes off long before Eret is able to.

* * *

It is two in the morning, and Eret makes up their mind. They shimmy away from the dogpile that is their family, quietly leaving the van. They make sure to pet Patches before they leave, though, not wanting the cat to alert the other boys.

They make their way to the gate, comm tablet deep in their sleeve and purpose on their face. Right outside of their walls, they meet a blank, smiling mask. 

“So we have a deal?”

“You promise you’ll leave them alone if I do this?”

“Pinkie swear.”

Dream’s fingers cross behind his back. Eret shakes his hand. They feel a sort of shock blast it’s way up their arm, and pull back with a strangled gasp.

“What the f—”

Their words trail off, vision blurring. The world goes black as Dream tilts his head innocently. 

_He lied, didn’t he?_

_Gods, they are a fool._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I think you all know what's gonna happen soon :(
> 
> Patches :]  
> (I am so sorry I forgot she was here fnnxncndnd I have the worst memory known to man /j /lh)


	30. 30

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> (Was he a bad son...?)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sobbing so much rn
> 
> Anyway, Punz is in this chapter, but he's not named
> 
> TW: betrayal, loss of family, descriptive death, blood, mentions of bile, temporary death

Eret is already up and around when Tubbo wakes up, and he wonders if they’ve slept at all. He bounds outside (Patches meows loudly, he turns around and scratches behind her ears, leaves again), waving an arm at them.

(It isn’t odd, Tubbo or Eret breaking down, only to be ‘fine’ within hours. It is an unfortunate and common occurrence)

(Wilbur knows unhealthy coping mechanisms when he sees them, but he can’t help the siblings, so he does his best to keep arguments from getting to loud, too personal)

Eret turns to Tubbo with a wide smile, jogging over, “Tubbo! How are you? Are you okay?” They ask.

“I’m okay,” a lie, but not a new one, “You? You _did_ go to sleep last night, right…?”

The one-horned goat hybrid laughs a little, a hand finding its way to the back of their neck as they turn their head a bit to the side, clearly avoiding Tubbo’s gaze.

“Et!” Tubbo scolds gently, “You need sleep.”

“Trust me, I know,” Eret laughs, “But it was worth it. I’ve built us something that can change the tides of this stupid ‘war’.”

A spark of hope makes its home in Tubbo’s heart and eyes, but with it comes the fear and sadness. If they won, then what would happen to Dream? Tubbo knows he shouldn’t care about him or his friends anymore, but it’s so hard not to. They were his parents, and he’s still not ready to let go of them.

“You should tell Wilbur, then.” He says. Eret shakes their head rapidly.

“No, no, no, not yet. He’ll tell Tommy, and Tommy will give it away before we need it. We can’t have Dream finding it.”

Tubbo makes a face, tilting his head a bit, “You’re _sure_ you’re alright?”

Eret is never quite this energetic or enthusiastic. Tubbo blames it on a lack of sleep. 

“I’m fine, I promise, Tubbs.” And their smile is so sincere that Tubbo doesn’t look too far past their sunglasses.

“Alright. I’m going to go keep watch!” Tubbo waves, and heads off toward the walls, ready to scale them.

Tommy bursts out of the van a few seconds later, though, and shouts, “Tubbo, come fight me!”

Tubbo resigns himself to spending the day sparring, and Fundy takes his shift with a fake huff and a small smile. At least the teens could find some sort of comfort with all that’s gone on.

* * *

Tommy and Tubbo spar for hours, until sore muscles start kicking in, and Tommy complains about not having anything to do. Wilbur walks by with a grim expression and intense strides. Tubbo follows where he’s walking, and shuts down any emotional response. He stands a little taller and mumbles to his friend.

“Looks like we’ve got something to do, after all.”

Wilbur is marching toward Dream and George, who stand at the gate, calm-looking and relaxed.

“What do you want, _Dream_?” Wilbur asks, teeth tipped in venom and ears flat against his head. Dream chokes out a short laugh.

“Same thing I always do, _General Soot_.” He leans on the hilt of his sword. George yawns. “I’m thinking of a nice, big, white flag. Think you have one for me today?”

“You know my answer.”

“Yes?”

“Dream,” Wilbur says loudly, authority dripping from his voice, “What we want is independence. Independence, or death.”

Fundy hops down the wall, scurrying to Wilbur’s side as Tommy and Tubbo bring up the rear. Eret watches from a few feet away.

“If we get no revolution, then we want nothing. We would rather _die_ than give in to your stupid demands. You have your land, we have ours.” Wilbur stands tall, relishing in the fact that he has a good few inches of height on Dream.

Dream, who even with the smiling mask manages to level them with the most chilling glare Tubbo’s ever experienced. He steels himself as Dream stands up straight, pulling his sword from the ground. Tubbo wonders if the blade is an intimidation tactic, because he can still see the handle of Dream’s axe over the man’s shoulder.

The green-hooded man rests his blade across his opposing hand, like he’s testing it’s weight. Like he’s testing the weight of the lives he can take with it. Clearly, the lightness of the weapon doesn’t matter to Dream.

“Well then,” He sighs, like he’s pretending to be sad, hamming up the act with exaggerated dropping shoulders. He is very obviously mocking them. Tommy balls his fists. “I think we’ve got a problem.”

“Listen here, you green _bitch_ —” Tommy starts raving at the man, all gnashing gums and sharp curses. Tubbo hears none of it, ears flicking as he focuses on a rustling noise far off.

He turns his gaze to the forest line over Dream’s shoulder. There stands Karl and the beast, watching the exchange with careful eyes. Karl makes eye contact with Tubbo, and the teen can feel his unease across the long distance. Karl looks up, but Tubbo doesn’t get the message. The man then subtly motions his hands upward, and Tubbo follows his gaze to see what he was being warned of.

Up in the trees, closer to the argument, but still slightly far off, sits Sapnap and a stranger. Sapnap lounges in a carefully lazy position, but Tubbo knows he can strike at any time. He sees a small light dance between the man’s fingers and carefully keeps his shoulders from tensing too much.

The stranger squats next to him, a hand resting on the trunk of the tree. He’s got blonde hair and blue eyes, a thick white hoodie pulled over his head. Plain black pants are tucked into white boots, and when he sits back on his heels, Tubbo sees a large golden necklace resting on his chest, like some sort of medal (some sort of weight). The stranger meets Tubbo’s eyes as Fundy startles him back to the events at hand.

A paw on his shoulder, Tubbo turns to face his friend. Wilbur is dragging a screaming Tommy away from a lax and retreating Dream and George. They walk away, backs to the small country with no caution. A taunt. They know they are far more powerful.

Tubbo looks back toward the treeline—Karl and the beast are gone, almost like they were never there. When he looks up at the trees, Sapnap and the stranger are gone. He keeps his eyes to the trees until Fundy gently pushes him back to the van. 

Wilbur’s called a meeting.

* * *

“Gentlemen,” Eret interrupts carefully. The meeting is almost over, and Tommy groans at the inevitable extension, because it’s already way past dark, and he’s tired. “I think I have something you all will enjoy.” They grin.

“Is it Dream’s head on a stick, or the end of this meeting?”

“No, Tommy.”

“I don’t want it.”

Fundy snorts at his little brother’s tired snappiness.

“Eret, continue.” Wilbur waves a hand, refusing to admit his lethargy. Eret’s grin grows, and Tubbo can feel the glow behind their glasses.

“Follow me,” They stand, heading out of the van. Patches meows loudly at them, but they don’t turn to pet her. Tubbo does.

Tubbo skips as they all walk, staring up at the moon. He smiles to himself. Tomorrow, he will be sixteen. He wonders if this is why Eret did not sleep the previous night— he wonders if they were intent on ending the ‘war’ before his birthday. Tubbo shakes the thought away. It’s a selfish wish, he tells himself. Eret does what they want, and the timing is pure coincidence.

(Still, Tubbo cranes his neck high up, and he can tell that it is nearly midnight, and knows that Eret knows what tomorrow is)

Eret leads them to a far corner of the walls and pushes some brush to the side. Underneath, a ladder leads far down. Eret gestures to the hole, and starts their descent. Wilbur follows, Then Tommy, then Tubbo, then Fundy. They lead the group down a winding tunnel, deep underground. 

Tommy yawns out a complaint about how long it’s taking and how cramped the hallway is. Eret laughs and waves the comment off, “Only a little further, I promise.”

It takes a few more minutes of walking for them to reach the end, where the squished tunnel opens up to a room the size of the front of the van. Blackstone lines each wall, along which lie chests with names carved intricately into them (Wilbur, Fundy, Tommy, Tubbo— and Tubbo does not see one with Eret’s name). Wilbur gasps, stepping into the room with a look of awe on his face.

(There is a button in the middle of the room, tall and alone on a pedestal)

“Eret, did you do all of this? For us?”

Eret simply smiles, waiting for the boys to be in the room entirely before subtly stepping between them and the door. “Anything for the cause.” They reply.

Tommy looks toward the pedestal as Wilbur opens his own chest. 

“What does this do?” Tommy asks, at the same time as Wilbur murmurs, “It’s empty…?”

The walls pull open with the loud scrape of redstone mechanics, and Tubbo screams as Dream, George, Sapnap, and the stranger come rushing out, armor donned and weapons raised high.

“You _traitor_ —” Wilbur doesn’t get to finish his sentence before his head is neatly removed from his body by the stranger’s blade. His body crumbles to the ground, and Tubbo feels bile rise in his throat as he hears two thuds.

Tommy shrieks as Dream chases him, tripping and falling as Dream’s axe lands in his back. His head slams on the pedestal with a nauseating crunch, and he stops moving. Tubbo turns to run, to look away, but he only sees Fundy fall as George pulls a bloody sword from his now-corpse.

“Eret— Et! How could you?” Tubbo screams.

“Down with the revolution, boys.” Eret turns and walks down the tunnel as Sapnap rushes him. “It was never meant to be.”

Tubbo spends his sixteenth birthday being run through the middle with a white-hot sword, gasping as his lungs fill with blood instead of air. He spends his last few seconds sobbing as hard as his body will allow, writhing in agony.

(And as those seconds end, he sees something flash in Sapnap’s eyes)

(Horror.)

(Absolute, terrifying, crushing horror at what he’s just done)

Tubbo’s world stops moving, and he knows it will start again in a few hours, but he isn’t sure he wants it to.

(It just won’t stop hurting)

(Why don’t they love him…?)

(Was he a bad son…?)

(Why were dadda and Et hurting him…?)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> SOBS


	31. 31

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Karl is going to fix this. He has to.
> 
> (He has to)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Karl interlude but it brings you more pain than before
> 
> TW: mentions of possesion, yelling, Karl said the fuck word, guilt

Karl doesn’t like being angry— he likes being angry just about as much as he likes being in pain, which is to say, not at all— but something breaks in him when the first thing he sees upon finally fixing his tablet is the following four death messages:

_**[ WilburSoot** was slain by **Punz ]**_

_**[ TommyInnit** hit the ground too hard whilst trying to escape **Dream ]**_

_**[ FundySoot** was slain by **GeorgeNotFound ]**_

_**[ Tubbo** was slain by **Sapnap ]**_

There are only four messages, which either means that the fifth person he saw yesterday is safe, wasn’t there when whatever had happened went down, or that they’d orchestrated the thing. Karl shudders, because he remembers their horn, and how similar it had been to Tubbo’s. 

He doesn’t have the time to dwell on it, because he can see flakes of snow start to fall gently around him. It takes him five full minutes and an inch of snow for him to realize that the feeling coiled tight in his gut is anger.

He is angry.

He’s finally made it home, and to what? A burnt field? A plain of ash? Five scared people, so young and inexperienced, fighting for their lives at the hands of his friends?

And before he can even send them a ‘hello’ message, they are killed? He dares to scroll further up, and Beast has to nudge the tablet away, because Karl is so upset that his hands are shaking, and the ring of snow looks like a mini-blizzard.

It is one in the morning, and Karl is beyond pissed off (and he hates that feeling so, so much, but it is justified, and he lets it fester).

When he sees the sun peek out from over the tree line, he knows what he has to do. He has to keep his promise— he has to fix it.

“I need to go.” He says, to the air, and to his friend. Beast makes a face, almost wary, but not quite.

“Stay here. If they see both of us, they’ll think we’re a threat or some sort of target. Which, I mean, I guess we are, but that isn’t the point. Point is, you stay here. I’ll be back. At some point. Provided that they don’t slaughter me on sight like they did to— to them.” 

If his voice holds an ounce of bite, Beast doesn’t make any comment or indication of it. Instead, he huffs a bit and walks back to the dugout of a home that Karl’s made and stayed in for the past year. Karl takes that as approval.

He pulls his hoodie up a bit and finds comfort in what he assumes is a hodge-podge of bright colors. Grabbing his bag and messed up little sword, he makes his way toward the ashen field. From there, he’ll be able to find Dream’s base, or at least find Sapnap or George’s new homes. 

(The ones they had to build after incinerating the one they had, Karl thinks bitterly)

* * *

Karl marches right up to the first home he sees without a hint of regret or hesitation. He hits the door more so than knocks, and he does not stop until he’s face-to-face with Sapnap.

Sapnap smiles upon seeing him, “Karl! I haven’t seen you in forever!” He looks so happy, genuinely excited, and yet Karl doesn’t feel any obligation to smile back. In fact, he frowns. Sapnap’s expression drops into a concerned one quickly.

“Hey, hey, what’s wrong?” He reaches a hand out, resting it on Karl’s shoulder before his eyes widen. “Holy shit you’re cold. Come in, in, dude, let’s get you warmed up, yeah?”

He tries pulling Karl in, but the taller of the two yanks his arm back. “Sapnap, what the honk is _wrong_ with you?” He snaps.

“What do you mean…? Are you feeling okay?”

“You know exactly what I mean!” Karl doesn’t like negative yelling. He yells anyway. “You killed Tubbo! You let Dream kill Tommy! And Fundy! And Wilbur! You honking killed them! How could you?”

Sapnap looks almost scared for a split second, but it switches to an aloof sort of anger. He crosses his arms, “They were on our land. They took our house over, so we had to get rid of them.”

“ _They were children_! Tommy and Tubbo still _are_ children, you—you _monsters_!”

Sapnap’s eyes flicker again, like he’s trying to keep up some sort of tough act. Karl buys none of it, leaning into his space as the air gets colder and colder.

“How old was he when you turned into this? How old, Sapnap? How old was Tubbo when you _fucking_ ripped his family apart?”

Karl hates how his friend hesitates, how his face falls and the anger melts away to guilt. To fear. 

(Not of Karl, never of Karl, he was impossible to be genuinely afraid of, in the Blaze hybrid’s never-to-be-humble opinion)

“ _How old was he_ , Sapnap?” Karl presses.

Sapnap stares into nothing for a moment before he bursts into tears. “Fou-fourteen—” He gasps, “He wa-as only fourteen—"

The colder of the two watches as the warmer sinks to the ground, sobbing incoherently. Karl waits for at least twenty seconds before he drops down as well, pulling his friend into a tight hug. Sapnap clings to him with an iron grip, and Karl is sure he’ll bruise by tomorrow, but he doesn’t really care. 

“Help—" The black haired man whispers (it sounds more like a whimper), “Gods, Karl, ple-ease— _please help—_ I d-I don’t wanna h-hurt-t the-em— I do-on't wan-nna hurt them-m—” He cries. 

Karl hugs him tighter, “I’m gonna fix it, I’m gonna fix it.” He promises under his breath, “Sap, I’m gonna fix it. It’s gonna be okay. It— It’s gonna be okay. Just hold on, please just hold on."

He holds his friend close in the doorway, the house inside too hot and the air outside too cold. It burns, but it feels like home. Karl whispers apologies for shouting, for cursing, but Sapnap either doesn’t hear him, or doesn’t know how to reply. 

Karl hears the footsteps approaching easily, lifting his head and turning to look behind him. He holds his friend a little more protectively as Dream makes his way toward them. That smiling mask no longer hides a man that’d level mountains for his family, but represents a blank slate. He feels nothing when he sees him.

Sapnap makes the mistake of looking up as Dream reaches out and ruffles his hair in a mockery of comfort. Karl physically feels the tension leave his friend as Sapnap pulls away. He stands like nothing’s happened, any residual tears evaporating off of his face. He holds a cocky grin, no sign of the bawling mess visible.

Karl stares up at him with an expression he can’t quite place— somewhere between betrayal, concern, and the look someone gets when trying to solve a particularly hard problem. He slowly pulls himself to his feet, not taking his eyes off of his friends.

He nods carefully at them, backing away slowly, then faster, until he’s half-running half-jogging back to the forest. 

“When’d it get so cold?”

“Dunno. Come in, it’s warmer.”

Karl doesn’t look back.

* * *

For the next week, he’s locked himself nose-deep in a book he never thought he’d need, and had only brought with him because his mentor back in the snowy village had gifted it to him (and it was rude to turn down a gift— everyone knew that).

Beast blinks at the title the first time Karl pulls it out, to which Karl simply waves him off, sitting on the edge of his bed. 

“Don’t wanna talk about it.”

* * *

_Demonic Possession and Exorcism_

_Vol. 1_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sapnap is still not free from the dreamons, but he's got the closest so far. Pain.
> 
> Reminder that there are no ships in this fic, they r friends going through a traumatic experience and trying to make it out. Someone comforting another person does not mean they are romantically attracted to them.


	32. 32

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Niki watches him remember, she watches him forget.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Niki interlude :]
> 
> TW: repetitive amnesia, mentions of fire, mentions of nightmares

Niki hums in her room, which still feels far too large to be only hers. In the past year or two, Phil and Techno have quickly moved their group high in rank, and they no longer have to sleep in caves and inns or worry if they have enough currency to pay for a doctor. Instead, they reside in a large home that Phil designed himself, and a doctor lives in the room next to Ranboo’s. 

Niki jokes that Techno is like a king here, and when Ranboo takes it too seriously, forgets that they are just as much civilians as the rest of the town, and makes him a crown, Techno decides to never take it off. 

(Ranboo forgets the significance of the crown the next day, and assumes Techno’s just royalty)

(No one has the heart to remind him)

Niki watches Ranboo grow up, watches him try to write everything down so that he does not forget, but she finds journals littered around the massive home, each with unfinished entries. She thinks that the longest one she’s found has to be about a page long. Each journal has Phil, Techno, and Niki’s names written down with brief descriptions.

(She still wakes him up every day and introduces herself with a soft smile as she watches him essentially restart)

Standing in her room, she folds her laundry, humming a tune she remembers Wilbur playing. She hears the poor doctor’s yelling, then rapid footsteps, before she hears a light knock on her door.

“Ranboo, no running, you could fall and hurt yourself further—” Is all she hears from the doctor (Ponk was his name, she recalls) before she calls a ‘come in’. Ranboo knocks on every door before entering, even if no one is there.

The tall boy opens the door, spots Niki, then looks straight up, “N— uh— hm— n—”

“My name is—” Niki goes to introduce herself, but Ranboo quickly waves a hand.

“No, I’ve got it, I’ve got it, gimme a second. Can you cover the tag?”

Niki’s sewn everyone’s names into the collars of their clothes for Ranboo, but questioningly covers hers. “Okay, you can’t see it anymore.”

Ranboo grins and finally looks back at her. Ponk leans on the doorway, observing carefully. It takes Ranboo a few more tries, looking for familiar features before he speaks up again.

“Niko...?”

“Close! Close!” Niki cheers, “You’re almost there!”

He wracks his brain for the answer, staring very intently at Niki’s face. Eventually, the doctor sighs, “C’mon, I gotta check everything. You can try again la—”

“Niki.” Ranboo says. Niki’s face lights up, and Ranboo copies her wide smile, “Your name is Niki!” He says louder, and Niki laughs.

“Yes! Yes! I am Niki” She shouts loudly, tossing the laundry down and uncovering her name in favor of scooping the teen up in a tight hug. He’s much taller than her, but she still easily picks him up. He hugs back just as tightly.

“You’re Niki!” He exclaims, laughing with her. The doctor speeds off to go get the rest of the small family.

When Phil and Techno come down the hall quickly, they cover their names and walk in. Ranboo stares at them, thinking hard. Niki cheers him on. “You’ve got this.”

Pointing at Phil, the teen says, “That’s… uh… that’s dad. But not dad? He’s kinda like a dad. I think. What’s a dad like?”

Phil’s heart simultaneously melts and breaks. The poor kid probably associates green with fatherhood, considering himself and Dream, but Phil knows that Ranboo hasn’t had a father for very long. 

“You can call me dad if you want, mate.” He settles as a response. Ranboo gives him an uneasy smile.

“But that isn’t your name. I need to remember your name.” 

“You don’t need to force yourself. I can tell you, if you’d like.”

“No! No— no, I can do it. I can.” Ranboo insists. “I can do it.”

Phil sighs sadly, but lowers himself to the floor, sitting cross-legged. Niki, Techno, Ranboo, and Ponk all copy him, and for the next half hour, Ranboo guesses at their names until he finally gives up and lets them tell him. 

Niki can tell that he doesn’t feel happy about it. She gives him another hug, and the days go on. 

* * *

One day, Niki wakes up to Ranboo knocking again. It is far, far too early for him to be up, but she lets him in and sits him on her too-big bed, sitting across from him, and she lets him think out his question. He pieces together words in his head, as well as in a language that Niki is still trying to learn, but she eventually sees it click in his head.

“Niki, I had a dream.”

“Yeah? Want to talk about it?”

“It was… It was scary, and it hurt a lot. There was a lot of fire.” He tells her in a hushed tone. She nods sympathetically. She’s had many of those nightmares. 

(They never end happily)

“Niki?”

“Yes?”

“Who’s… Who’s Tubbo?”

Niki swears her lungs stop working, her sharp intake of breath practically cutting them in two. Ranboo panics as she starts coughing. “Niki! Niki, are you okay? I’m sorry! Niki?”

He awkwardly pats the woman’s back until she regulates her breathing again. She looks up at him with wide eyes.

“I’m sorry, could— could you repeat that?”

“I-I asked who Tubbo was, ‘cause he was in that dream, I think, and so were you and— and, uh…” He pauses a second, “You and dad and Techno were there. So I was wondering if— if you knew who Tubbo is.”

Niki wonders if she should tell him or not, wonders if he’ll forget. She hates her response.

“I can tell you in the morning, and Phil and Techno will help.” 

Ranboo smiles carefully at her. “Okay.”

He heads back to his room and does not ask about the dream again. Niki knows he’s forgotten, and she feels like shit for not telling him who his brother was.

She does not tell Phil about it, either.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Phil is dad  
> Ponk is doctor


	33. 33

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Punz doesn't have funz
> 
> (Tubbo gives up on his dad)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> See if you can spot the Karl reference!!!
> 
> TW: panic attack, catatonia, explosions, minor character death, implied disowning

Tubbo wakes up, sixteen years old and in searing pain.

(He isn’t sure if it’s emotional or physical, it just _hurts,_ and he can’t make it stop)

The first thing he does is grab blindly for some sort of comfort, maybe Eret— until he remembers that Eret betrayed everyone, and he begins to cry. He sobs and sobs and sobs, and it takes a long time for him to stop. By the time that time comes around, Tubbo vaguely registers that someone is hugging him tightly and trying to get him to breathe.

“You’re doing it, it’s gonna be fine, it’s gonna be fine, you’re gonna be okay, big man. Just keep breathing, yeah? In and out.”

It goes like that for about fifteen minutes, Tubbo reaching an almost calm state, being thrown back into hysteria, and Tommy grounding him, like a loop. It ends with Tubbo exhausting himself and falling into a fitful sleep. Tommy frowns, readjusts, and decides he won’t be leaving his brother’s side. 

(Because if Tubbo’s family doesn’t want him, Tommy’s will)

Wilbur watches with a shattered expression. He is alone now, he realizes, alone and left to raise his younger brothers, and he’s not entirely sure if Tubbo is going to survive all of the— well, all of the everything. The poor kid’s entire family has left or betrayed him.

(Niki and Ranboo are gone, and Wilbur doesn’t want to blame them, because he’s glad they’ve escaped, but he can’t help but feel a little bitter)

(He misses his dad, he misses his brother)

(But he is the oldest, so he needs to take care of the others)

The eldest boy’s ears rest flat against his head as Tommy looks over to him with crestfallen eyes. Wilbur subconsciously raises a hand to his own neck, fingertips ghosting over his newest scar. It runs perfectly across his throat, meeting at the tips to create a permanent line circling his neck. It is raised and white, standing out against skin tanned and ashy from being so close to Sapnap’s fires. Tommy’s seen it, but Wilbur still feels the need to shield it from his youngest brother.

“Wil…” Tommy whispers, “What do we do…?”

Wilbur frowns. He doesn’t have an answer. 

Fundy exits the van.

* * *

In the following week, three things happen, and it goes like this:

Tubbo goes catatonic. He doesn’t speak to anyone, he does not do much without prompting. Tommy tries to get him to spar, but it’s like fighting a wall. Tubbo goes down quickly, and Tommy decides that it is safer for him inside. He doesn’t leave the shorter boy’s side, and settles on playing music from his player, humming and telling Tubbo stories blown way out of proportion.

Fundy chats to (at) Tubbo about redstone, possible projects, and about enchantments. The fox hybrid spends most of his time with the younger two, keeping an eye on them when Wilbur can’t. Their oldest brother is working on plans, the gates having been completely blocked shut after Eret was banished (permanently).

Tubbo does not respond, but Tommy and Fundy know he’s listening, or at least hearing, them when he looks over slowly.

The second thing that happens is Eret trying to talk to them. Tommy makes sure that Fundy is with Tubbo before he slams the van’s door open and storms over to the tall hybrid. He screams and curses, and in the end, almost kills them. Wilbur pulls him off at the last second, his only reason for it being that he doesn’t want Eret to respawn anywhere near Tubbo.

Tommy spits at them, his eyes practically glowing in rage, as he screams, “Listen to me, Eret, fucking _listen_! You fucked up, you fucked up _so_ badly, you hear me?”

Wilbur holds Tommy until Eret is out of sight. He leads his little brother back inside, where he clambers onto the bed next to Tubbo. Fundy and Wilbur join them, and the four boys (Fundy, barely an adult, Wilbur, only a little older, Tommy, still fifteen, Tubbo, barely sixteen) huddle close through the coldest night that winter.

The third thing that happens is George lighting a piece of TNT at the gates when Wilbur entertains a meeting. 

Wilbur stands in front, Fundy by his side, Tommy and Tubbo behind him. Dream, George, and Sapnap stand on the other side of the gate, Punz (who’s name is only learned from Wilbur’s death message) a few feet behind them. Wilbur laughs at the small piece of dynamite and instructs his brothers to back up a few steps. 

George tosses the stick, throws it down, and dashes backward. Dream, Sapnap, and Punz follow, and that’s when Tommy realizes that there is far more to that stick than they presented. A quick thought process is the only thing that saves him when he screams, “Water!”

He drags Tubbo under with him, hears Wilbur and Fundy dive after them, and feels the earth shake violently with explosions. 

When he breaks the surface of the water, dragging Tubbo up, he sees that half of the van is missing, and a crater replaces most of the clearing. He can just barely see the bed, which is thankfully still in-tact. He drags Tubbo to the edge of the lake, and Fundy and Wilbur follow, all four of them coughing and sputtering. 

Tommy thinks he can hear the men on the other side cheering and laughing, if he listens close enough. Except he isn’t listening, because Tubbo’s seemingly finally snapped out of it. The boy, soaked to the bone, pulls himself to his feet, wipes his hair out of his face (it’s getting long), and looks toward the gates. 

In the loudest voice he can muster up after a week of silence, Tubbo screams, and he screams loudly. 

“ _Fuck_ you!” Tommy props himself up on his forearms and watches his friend yell at what used to be his family. Wilbur and Fundy stare, stunned as well.

“What did I _do_? Why in the hell do you hate me so much? All I ever did was love you! You were Dadda! You were Sappa! You were Gogy! You promised you wouldn’t hurt me! Two doors down! _Pinkie swore_!” Tubbo shouts.

“Tubbo—” Wilbur sits himself up, but goes unheard.

“Two doors down, my ass! I thought you cared about me! I thought you were my parents! I was so excited, you know, when I was _fourteen_! I was so excited for you all to come home so I could tell you how much you all changed my life! Ranboo was so excited! And now what? You change it for the worst!

“You burnt our home! You hurt us, on _purpose_! You took Niki, Ranboo, Techno— you took _Phil_ away from us! If you hated me so much, you should’ve just boxed me up and shipped me away! But no! You took Tommy’s dad away! And you took Wilbur’s brother away! And you took Fundy’s friend away! And you took my brother away!”

Tubbo knows he’ll lose his voice by tomorrow, but he doesn’t stop his boisterous words. Fundy rests a paw on his shoulder.

“Even Eret! Even Eret— You fucking took everything from me! Was it not enough? You had to take our safe spot away, too? Is that it? You couldn’t _stand_ the thought of me being happy, could you? I’m fif— I’m sixteen! Tommy is fifteen! Fundy’s barely twenty-two! And Wil— Wil’s only twenty-four! You’re taking our lives away from us!

“You’ve stolen my family, my childhood, and my home from me! Are you happy? Because I'm sure as hell not! Ta-da! Your shitty little plan worked! You won your little game! Whoop-dee-doo! Achievement unlocked! You broke your kids!"

Tubbo tosses his arms in the air before letting them fall, hitting his side with a wet _thunk_ of finality.

"You did it." He says, and he's not yelling anymore. "You did it."

Tommy stumbles to his water-logged feet and walks over to his brothers, and he is shocked to see that Tubbo isn't crying. He wraps an arm around the boy's shoulders, Fundy's hand dropping from them to his back. Wilbur walks up behind them and stares at Dream's unmoving, smiling mask.

And Dream has the audacity to _laugh_. 

Punz walks right up to him, places a heavy hand on his shoulder, spins him around, and lands an audible punch right between the eyes of Dream’s mask. Tommy can hear it crack even from where he stands.

“You never said we’d be hurting kids.” He says, and Wilbur can hear the sincerity. That does not mean that he forgives the man or pities him in the slightest, though. Wilbur still does not want to see him ever again.

He quickly turns his brothers toward him to shield their gaze when Dream runs the man through with his sword anyway. Tubbo hears the clank of Punz’s medal hit the ground before he hears the thunk of his body.

“What?” Dream asks Sapnap, “He broke my fucking mask.”

Sapnap shrugs. The trio turns and walks off, leaving Punz to dissolve at the gate. Wilbur doesn’t let his brothers look until he’s sure the dust has blown away.

* * *

That night, all four brothers huddle on the bed like they had at the beginning of the week, and none of them can sleep. The tarp covering the open half of the van flaps noisily in the wind, a snowstorm having blown in unexpectedly earlier in the day.

Tubbo stares at the ceiling as he clings to the only family he has left, and whispers a question he doesn’t mean to say aloud.

“Was I a bad kid…?”

“ _No_.” Wilbur and Tommy reply without hesitation.

“I didn’t hang out with you guys a lot, but you do _not_ deserve any of this.” Fundy adds on. “You _aren’t_ a bad kid.”

Tubbo hugs them a bit tighter. He’s not sure he believes them, but he wants to.

“Okay.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> PATCHES IS FINE SHE RAN OFF, I FORGOT TO WRITE THAT IN AND IT'S TOO LATE NOW


	34. 34

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ten paces.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! Duel chapter :]
> 
> TW: temporary death, blame, casual discussion of morbid topics, Tommy misses his family :(

The fighting does not stop, but Tommy notices that it gets easier. Tubbo spars with him more often, and no one has seen that Punz guy since Dream ran him through. Tommy wouldn’t blame the guy if he’d ditched the effort altogether. 

(No one forgives him, no one even knows him, so Tommy doesn’t exactly give a shit)

Tubbo doesn’t hesitate as much, only dodging around Sapnap because of his fire, and his sword. Usually Fundy or Tommy go after him. Dream likes to target Wilbur and Tubbo, Tommy’s noticed, while George just goes for whoever is closest. 

The four of L’Manburg don’t use their comm tablets much anymore, since all that fills them is death messages, so no one bothers to check when the occasional ping comes through. It’s chalked up to lag, and they move on. 

None of Wilbur’s meetings with Dream produce any results, only more conflict, and eventually Tommy tires of it.

Two and a half months after Eret’s betrayal and the explosions, Tommy insists on following Wilbur to a meeting, on the condition that he stays quiet and does not interfere too much. The tall blonde huffs, but agrees. 

“Tommy.” Tubbo says before he leaves.

“Yeah?”

“Be safe.”

“I will, big man, I’m always safe!”

“I mean it, Toms.” Tubbo says with a worried frown. “Don’t do anything stupid.”

Tommy throws an arm over his brother’s shoulder, “Rule one of being friends with the great Tommy Innit—” He laughs, reciting the line that is almost nine years old.

Tubbo smiles a little, “You are never wrong,” He says with a snort. “Yeah, yeah, I know.”

It is light-hearted and never serious— Tommy has been wrong more times than he can count— and they both prepare for Tommy and Wilbur’s departure.

When Tubbo sees them off at the gates, he holds up his hand in a routine move. Tommy high-fives it, then the two shortly link pinkies, and the handshake is over with a promise to return soon. 

Tubbo returns to his post, which just means his shift of walking around, across, and on top of the walls to make sure nothing shifty is going on. Fundy is on van-watch, which waters down to ‘make sure Patches doesn’t get out, and also that nothing gets stolen from the one half of this vehicle that we have left’. He spends his time strengthening the support beams of their make-shift (make-shit, Tommy calls it, again) bridges that cross the crater they haven’t had the time to fix.

* * *

Tommy swears he tries to keep his mouth shut when Wilbur and Dream negotiate, but Dream shoves surrender on them one too many times, and he breaks his promise of not doing anything stupid.

“Dream!”

“Tommy, no—”

“Yeah?” Dream cuts Wilbur off, tilting his head in an almost tauntingly fake display of curiosity, cracked mask gleaming.

“You, me, duel. Sunrise.”

“What’s in it for me? Why now?”

“When I win, you give us this land, and we leave you alone. If, _if_ , you win,” Tommy falters, and he does not look at Wilbur, because he knows he’ll be in deep shit for this one, “you get the land, we go somewhere else.”

“Tommy!” Wilbur curses loudly, pulling the youngest L’Manburgian back by his shoulder, “What the fuck— Why would you say th—”

“Deal.”

Silence. Dream has finally agreed to something, something that he knows he will win, and something that will doom L’Manburg. Wilbur isn’t exactly glowering, but he’s damn close to it. Tommy understands that entirely, already regretting his words.

“I’ll see you at dawn. Pack your things. I want you out as soon as possible.”

Wilbur does not stop cursing the whole way back.

* * *

Tubbo gives Tommy a pained look when Wilbur announces what is to happen, but he helps him train anyway. They spend the rest of the day fighting, dodging, slashing, shooting, running. 

"One arrow— only one. You just have to dodge it. Just don't get hit, and you win." Tubbo tells him, "Plus, he's all neon and crap, easy target."

Tommy grimaces at how easily Tubbo talks about Dream being a target. He's been trying so, so hard not to think of what he would do if Phil, Techno, Wilbur, and Fundy turned against him— he doesn't think he'd handle it as well as Tubbo is, even if Tubbo's way of 'handling it' means ignoring and moving on.

Whatever works, he guesses.

Night comes faster than any of them expect, and the temperature drops too fast to be comfortable. L’Manburg’s sons climb into bed, and Tommy knows that while all four of them always tangle limbs, he is in the center tonight. He lies tangled in a weave of his brothers, and prays to the gods that his arrow shoots far and true.

He’s never prayed before, not genuinely, but he finds himself recalling prayers and hymns that Phil had taught him, Techno, Wilbur, and Fundy as children. He mumbles them under his breath, paying tribute to the sky, the water, the earth, and the trees. He wishes to the clouds and the flower petals, to the breeze and the waves, to the light and the shadows and everything in between that he will win.

(He changes his wish to his brothers’ freedom and his family’s return, because in the end, he does not care if he loses, as long as they are free)

Tommy falls asleep that night and breathes clouds into the cold night air.

* * *

Tubbo wakes the other three up before dawn by shaking their shoulders and poking their faces. Tommy tries to bite him, and they laugh. The boys tumble out of the van (after giving Patches her pats, of course) and into the frigid air. Tommy grabs a bow and one arrow, and Wilbur leads all of them toward the field where they used to play.

Dream waits there, Sapnap leaning on an ashy tree, George dozing on the ground. Dream has a bow in hand, his mask taunting the approaching boys.

“I hope you packed everything, boys.” He drawls.

“Nah.” Tommy bites back. There’s not much that could worsen the situation, really, so he can say what he wants, he decides.

“Shame. See, Sappy Nap here wants to burn some shit, and I told him there’s not much left of it, but ‘L’Manburg’ or whatever might satisfy him for a bit, I guess.”

Tommy glares.

Tubbo whispers to him, “He’s probably got a heart cover under his hoodie, he doesn’t play by the rules. Aim a little lower, rib-area. Or go for the throat, he’s never covered it once.”

Tommy doesn’t know how to feel about his friend giving him pointers on how to kill his dad. He takes them into account anyway.

Dream stands on one side of what used to be the training section of the field, and Tommy takes his place on the opposing side. They walk to the center, back to back, and Wilbur starts counting down.

“Ten.”

One step.

“Nine.”

Another.

“Eight.”

A whisper of a prayer, a crunch of a leaf.

“Seven.”

He positions his arrow.

“Six.”

Dream smiles under his mask, scars pulling tight (his mind screams for him to stop).

“Five.”

Tommy pulls the arrow taught, holding the bow half-up in preparation.

“Four.”

He is only fifteen, he’ll be sixteen in two more months.

“Three.”

One step.

“Two.”

Another.

“One.”

A whisper of a prayer, a halt of footsteps.

“Ten paces, fire!”

They spin around at the same time, and Dream’s arrow flies before Tommy can even raise his bow all the way. The teen stumbles back, and no amount of scrambling to balance himself with his thin tail keeps him from falling.

He hears Tubbo scream, he hears Wilbur curse, and the only thing he sees before everything goes dark is three figures at the edge of the woods— one tall and colorful, one beastly and large, and one in a white hoodie. The white-clad figure turns back into the woods. The beastly figure stays put. The colorful one comes running out.

The sun rises, and Tommy is cold.

* * *

Tommy throws himself out of the bed as soon as he’s respawned, anger pooling in his gut. He ignores the brief onslaught of dizziness, noting that no one is in the van, and that it is much colder than it should be, if Sapnap is supposed to be setting L’Manburg ablaze.

He runs out, only bothering to grab his dagger, bounding across L’Manburg soil and out of the gate. Making it to the barren plain (it is growing back, slowly) is easy, and once he’s there, he doesn’t quite know how to process what’s happening.

He’s been sure that Karl will hurt them like Eret, like Dream, like Sapnap and George, but the dude, as skinny as he is, has Dream pinned to the ground. Wilbur and Tubbo are holding George and Sapnap off, distracting them with a fight, while Fundy helps Karl keep Dream down.

Tommy can’t hear them from where he is, but Dream is thrashing around, and Sapnap keeps missing his mark. Sapnap never misses. It’s like something out of a storybook. He keeps hitting his own arm down, then returning to going absolutely ape on Wilbur and Tubbo, then stumbling again. George, however, seems fine.

Dream kicks at Karl, because Fundy can’t hold his arms and legs down at the same time, and Karl is pretty much just sitting on the masked man’s torso. He’s yelling something, hands on the sides of Dream’s face, and as Tommy gets closer, he realizes that he doesn’t understand a word of it.

He doesn’t know how to help, not exactly, but Tubbo and Wilbur are doing fine on their own, so Tommy decides to go for Karl and Fundy instead. In a stupid combination of movements, Tommy flings himself on the legs of the guy that’d shot him probably half an hour ago.

This is definitely his fastest respawn. That, or this has been going on for hours. A look at the sky proves the latter to be true. 

Tommy wraps his arms around the squirming limbs, and gods is he going to have a lot of bruises to show off later. Karl yells louder, and Tommy shouts back.

“Just keep fucking doing what you’re doing!”

“Don’t respond to that, Karl!” Fundy says immediately after, “Just keep doing the thing!”

Karl doesn’t even nod, not that Tommy can see. He gets a face full of boot a second later, and punches Dream’s calf in retaliation. 

It takes five more minutes for Dream to go still, and Karl releases a deep breath. Looking up, Tommy sees that— that George is asleep…? And Sapnap is on the ground, far away from Wilbur and Tubbo, crying. Tommy rolls off of Dream’s legs, rubbing his sore arms. Karl stands on weak joints, Fundy popping up soon after.

“So?” Karl asks down at Dream, who Tommy thinks is properly unconscious, until he reaches an arm up to his mask.

He unclips it, and it slides off his face. Tommy is met with the scarred face of someone he hasn’t truly seen in almost two years. Green eyes stare at the sky, almost empty, until they aren’t, and Tommy can’t pick out a single emotion in the whirlwind of that man’s pupils.

He sits up, stands, holds his mask in careful hands. Dream looks down at it, then back up at the field that used to be his home.

“Kid…?” He whispers, but Tubbo hears it anyway.

Tommy watches his friend’s attention snap toward the guy that used to be his dad, and he watches as nothing happens. As Tubbo stands there, stares him down, and then walks away. And then that walk turns to a jog, then a sprint, and Fundy runs after him.

“Tubbo! Tubbo, wait!” They disappear into the woods. Tommy turns back to Dream.

The man looks crestfallen, but Tommy doesn’t get why, so naturally, he says something about it.

“Don’t act all sad and surprised, you dickwad. You ruined his life, y’heard him two months ago.”

Wilbur quietly follows Fundy and Tubbo, Karl backs off toward Sapnap and George. Dream and Tommy are left to talk, even though Tommy doesn’t have much else to say.

“So?” He repeats Karl.

Dream looks at him with such a broken expression that Tommy doesn’t think he’ll ever forget it. “I— I’m so, so sorry.” He whispers.

Anger rises in Tommy’s throat. “You’re sorry, huh? ‘Sorry’ won’t bring my dad back, or Niki, or Techno, or Ranboo. ‘Sorry' sure as hell won’t fix us. It won’t magically fucking heal our scars or change how many times you decided to have a slaughter-fest, buddy.”

He watches as Dream’s resolve breaks further and further, and he’s reminded of when Tubbo’s horns grew in. 

“You’ve really got nothing else to say for yourself, huh? I don’t know what I expected from y—”

“Take it.”

“What?” Tommy stops.

“Take it— L’Manburg, take it, it’s free or— or whatever. Yours. I won’t come near it, won’t touch it, won’t do anything— I swear, I promise, I won’t.”

Tommy crosses his arms. “What do you want in return? You don’t just offer shit.”

The silence that comes after is only broken by Sapnap’s sobs and Karl’s mumblings in whatever language he was speaking earlier.

“Just—” Dream takes a rattling breath inward, “Just— please, be a kid. Be kids." His voice is a whisper, but Tommy's isn't.

"You don't get to tell me to be a kid when you fucking took that from me when I was fourteen. You've got no right to tell Tubbo to be a kid, either, when you decided to fuck it all up. If Ranboo were here, he'd say the same damn thing, but you chased him off after trying to kill him. Leave us the hell alone."

Tommy relishes in the way that Dream's face falls even further, and watches the man tear up without an ounce of sympathy. 

"You gave up on us— on _Tubbo_ — years ago, so don't you dare put yourself up so high to think that we give a single fucking shit about you." He glares.

Tommy waits for a response, but when he gets none, he turns to stalk off. He almost throws his dagger down, but decides against it, because it's all that he has left of his dad. He lets Dream know by raising it in the air.

His hand falls back to his side, and he walks toward the treeline. He only turns around when he reaches it, and he grins as he watches Sapnap pull George onto his back. They've won.

When Tommy reaches his brothers, he hugs them tight.

"We're home, boys. We're home."

(None of them see Dream's eyes harden again)

(None of them see George wake up)

(None of them see Punz and Beast run out of the forest to the clearing, because Karl is down, and Dream has an axe raised)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> All aboard the pain traaain
> 
> Sorry Karl


	35. 35

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Welcome to Rutabagaville, home of Dreamons and Exorcists

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Karl pog!!!   
> I am so sorry to inform all of you that Karl did, in fact, die at the end of the last chapter
> 
> There is so much dialogue in this one, I apologize cndncnnsnx
> 
> I make up for it with Punz Content
> 
> TW: scarring, implied death

Karl wakes up in his bed, and the first thing he processes is how much his face honking hurts. He raises a hand to it, and when he feels rough and bumpy skin, his eyes shoot open. He has no mirror, but he can feel along his face, and he can tell that a scar runs almost perfectly down the middle of it, if slightly diagonal. 

He shudders when he remembers how he got it. His mouth feels weird, lips tugged just barely out of place from the new wound. Karl will just have to get used to it, he guesses.

When he takes a look around the cave, he sees three things that are very out of place— his friends.

George is the least restrained, tied up with rope and snoring away in the corner. Sapnap is tied with rope as well, but if Karl squints, he can see the shimmer of enchantments flash every few seconds. 

(When the honk did they get enchanted rope?)

Dream, however, leaves Karl with even more questions. The man sits maskless and unconscious. The most startling thing, though, is the amount of chains wrapped around him. They shimmer with more enchantments than Sapnap’s ropes. Karl didn’t even know they had chains, and he gawks at them, speechless. 

Beast sits directly next to Dream, and does not seem to be taking his eyes off of the man. He snorts in acknowledgement of Karl’s return, but that is the most of it. Karl quickly scoots out of bed and skirts around the three unconscious men and singular cursed beast, making his way out of the cave.

The side of the hill that the cave belongs to is covered in a foot of snow and caged around by tall fences. It is hidden far in the woods, and is not entirely natural. Karl spots Punz digging (or trying to dig) a hole in the frozen earth.

“Hey, Punz?”

“Yeah?”

“When did we get chains…?”

Punz doesn’t answer, but pauses for a second in his digging.

“What are you doing?”

“Don’t worry about it.” Punz chooses as a response. He continues digging.

“I’m worrying about it.”

“Don’t, it isn’t a good look on you.”

“Sure. Anyway, about the chains— actually, the enchantments, too. Where’d that come from?” Karl leans on the fencing he set up months ago.

“D—”

“If you say ‘don’t worry about it’ one more time, I’m going to honking lose it, Punzo.”

“I… found them.”

“I’m not gonna get a real answer out of you, am I?”

“Probably not, no.” The blonde grins.

Karl shakes his head, but smiles as well. “Okay Mr. Mystery. If you’re digging a hole, you'll have better luck outside of Rutabaga borders. It’s all snow here, the dirt is gonna be hard as honk.”

Punz laughs, “C’mon, just say fuck, I know you’ve said it before.”

“That’s a lie! I haven’t!”

“You totally did!”

“And how would you know?”

“Sap told me.”

Karl’s face drops instantly, morphing into disbelief. He gapes for a moment. “Sapnap?”

Punz gives up on digging and turns to the hybrid. “Yeah.”

“Punz, holy honk! You know what that means?” Karl shouts, a large grin spreading across his face once more. He doesn’t wait for Punz’s response. “He’s getting closer to consciousness! We’re getting closer!”

The realization that his family is so close to getting better has Karl in tears, but he can’t stop smiling. “We’re doing it!”

The human goes to respond, but his smile drops as he glances over Karl’s shoulder. 

“Karl,” He says carefully, “I’m gonna need you to back away from the fence. Slowly.”

Karl doesn’t feel like getting potentially hurt, so he scoots away from the border as quietly as possible, not turning around. Once he’s reached about halfway between Punz and the fence, he turns around and chokes on a gasp.

Eret stands there, crown resting in their hands and cape balled over their arm. They stare through their sunglasses at Karl and Punz, and Karl can tell that the young adult is trying not to let any emotion show (and they are failing, lower lip quivering, eyebrows furrowed).

“Eret, right?” Punz calls. They nod slowly.

“Yeah.”

“Tell me something, Eret. Make me believe you won’t hurt anyone in here.” The blonde crosses his arms, leaning on the shovel that is still stuck in the frozen ground.

“I—” Eret stops short, and the resounding silence lasts almost a full minute. They exhale quietly, head dropping. “I can’t.”

Karl’s heart aches for the goat hybrid, and he heads back toward the fence. “Come around to the hole. We’re gonna help you.” He says quietly.

“Punz, tell Beast I’m bringing Eret in so he doesn’t freak out or anything.” Punz nods and heads back into the cave. 

Karl leads Eret to the opening of what he’s decided to call Rutabagaville. The entrance was supposed to be sealed once Karl lured his friends inside, but that plan’s been scrapped with Karl’s death. He assumes that Beast and Punz dragged the three in.

Once Eret is inside, Karl instructs them to stay where they are. He turns to the opening, which is just barely big enough for Beast to fit through. He sticks his hands into the snow, shuffling around until he finds what he’s looking for— a hammer, a few panels of wood, and a box of nails.

He takes one last look outside of the fence before beginning to patch the hole. It will not open for a long, long time. 

When the final nail is hammered in, Eret stumbles. A wave of… of something washes over the entire fenced-in dome. The temperature drops about three degrees, and a purple hue tints the fencing. Eret looks closer to see runes carved into the panels over the entrance.

They run a hand over the fencing, and inhale sharply when they see that— that every single fence post is engraved with enchantments. Karl smiles at them.

“Think of this as a rehabilitation place. Nothing can get in— nothing can get out. We’re stuck here until Punz, Beast, and I can exorcize you guys permanently. That,” He laughs a bit nervously, “or until Dream figures out perma-death.”

“Perma-death…?” A scared whisper leaves Eret’s mouth.

“Hey, hey, don’t worry too much. Even when I’m gone—”

“ _If_.”

“Even if I’m gone, nothing should be able to destroy those barriers. I think. At least, that’s what the book said. Hopefully nothing can break them.” Karl pauses. “We’ll be fine. C’mon, inside, inside. You’ll freeze.”

Eret hums gently, placing their cape back over their shoulders. It’s cold, but they assume there is a reason for it. They’ll be fine.

“Welcome to Rutabagaville!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one was lighter than the others :] you guys are getting an angst break for the interludes this time!!!!
> 
> Niki interlude is next and all of the girls and the gays are gonna love it because pirates
> 
> Also!! Punz knows. Some magic. Not a bunch, but some!!! So he's helping because I say so
> 
> Punz Content


	36. 36

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A few weeks at most, she promises.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> NIKI INTERLUDE!!! NEW CHARACTER TAGS!!! PONK CONTENT!!!! RANBOO!!!
> 
> TW: homesickness, mentioned injury & amnesia

Niki is restless, pacing and moving and humming her way through the beginning of winter, but she just can’t stay put. It has been far, far too long— longer than she should’ve allowed.

The blonde pulls lightly at the braid Techno’s done up for her and feels a small wave of regret. She does not want to leave this family behind, but she needs to know what happened to the others. She doesn't want to bring Ranboo or Techno or Phil with her if it means death.

Niki finds herself in front of Phil’s room, hand raised to knock on the tall door. She stands there for a moment, second guessing and wondering if she really wants to do this.

(A silly wonder. Does she really want to see her siblings? _Yes._ )

(So why can’t she just knock?)

The door swings inward as Phil opens it, startling slightly at the sight of Niki. “Oh! Niki, I didn’t expect you to be there. What’s wrong?” He asks gently.

She can’t do it.

“Ah— nothing, nothing. I just wanted to say I am going to walk around the town! Yes! And I did not want you to worry, so I came to let you know!” Niki swallows the lie and tries not to choke on it. She will tell him later.

“Oh, alright! You don’t have to tell me whenever you go somewhere, you know. You’re an adult Niki, your choices are yours, we don’t mind. But I suppose that’s a bit deep for a walk, huh?” Phil laughs.

And he knows. And she knows he knows. Neither of them say a thing as Niki heads out, thick blue coat wrapped tight around her. The constant snowfall is comforting to her. It creates a small layer of white on top of her head, and her ears flick every time it lands on them. 

(Ranboo can’t go outside— snow is just frozen water, but water nonetheless, and he burns so, so easily)

(That is part of the reason Niki wants out as soon as possible. She wants to know if it’s safe for him again)

She finds herself at the docks of the town rather than the town itself. The water is incredibly cold, but it flows without freezing. Niki sits on the dock, swinging her legs over the edge and letting them hang. There is no land to be seen across the water. Niki frowns as the chilly air blows, and she ignores the loud chatter of a ship unloading at a nearby port in favor of daydreaming of what’s happened to her old home.

She hopes that Eret and Tubbo are okay.

“What’s got you so down, girlie?” A voice startles Niki from her thoughts.

When she looks up, the blonde meets the eyes of a very wooly sheep hybrid in a red coat that seems far too thin for the weather. A tri-cornered black hat sits on her head, and if Niki were to guess, she could probably match at least Phil in combat. 

“Oh,” Niki says, shaking her head, “nothing. My name is Niki. It is nice to meet you, miss…?” She introduces herself, turning to stand.

The stranger holds out a hand (which is more hoof, actually, and it reminds Niki of Eret) and pulls her up. “The name’s Puffy! And if you look as sad as that, I don’t think it’s ‘nothing’, no offense.”

“None taken.” Niki says. She glances at the water again, almost getting lost in the lull of the waves. 

“Missin’ someone?”

“You could say that.”

“Lover sailed off? Family somewhere?” Puffy prompts. Niki sighs.

“Family. I haven’t seen my siblings in years.” She says quietly, “I miss them.”

Puffy hums, taking a look at the water as well. She drops Niki’s hand, using her free hoof to shield the light from her eyes. 

“How far out are they?”

“Very… I don’t remember clearly, but it took a very long time to get here, and then we moved further from where we first landed.”

“Southbound?”

“I believe so. May I ask why?”

Puffy grins wide, “‘Cause I’ve got a ship headed to a dock a ways south. What do you say?”

* * *

Niki heads back to Phil’s home with an uncertain smile and a purpose in her stride. She announces herself when she makes it inside, and then quickly heads to her room. Her bag sits packed on her bed, and she shoulders it with a hefty shrug. 

She makes her way down the hall (bed made, room clean) and quietly calls everyone into the living room as she goes. A weight settles in her heart when she sees Ranboo stare at her from his seat, eyes wide.

(He only remembers to blink when someone else does— something about not needing to, old jokes about not having eyelids at all, jokes he’s forgotten)

Techno leans on the doorway, while Phil and Ponk sit down in different areas of the room. Phil gives Niki a gentle look, encouraging her to speak.

“I need to leave.” Just like a bandaid.

Ranboo frowns, eyebrows raised. “Why?”

“What’s goin’ on, Niki?” Techno asks.

“Nothing, nothing. It’s just—”

“You miss them.” Phil provides the answer. Niki nods, looking at the ground.

“I do. I miss them so, so much. I need to make sure they are okay. I can’t let you come with me, because there is a chance that they are not okay, and I don’t want to risk any more of my family.”

“I thought we were all the family we had…?” Ranboo murmurs, confused. Ponk sighs, his eyes showing a frown.

“I forgot them, didn’t I…?”

“Kid, from what I know, it’s probably for the best—”

“ _No_ , no it isn’t.” Niki says immediately. “And it is _not_ your fault for forgetting, Bo, you can’t control that. I’m going to make sure they are safe, and as soon as I know that they are, I’m coming right back here, and we can go back to them.”

Techno nods, “How do you plan on gettin’ there, exactly? Not t’ be rude or anythin’, but you don’t know how t’ sail, and we’re _way_ out.”

Niki nods, “I know. There is a boat docked at the town that is leaving later today. The captain offered to let me stay on her ship until they dock next.”

“Puffy?” Ponk asks.

“Yes. How did you know?” The goat hybrid tilts her head.

“She wasn’t supposed to be here for another week. ‘S a bad time for me to say, but I was planning on heading out as well. Ranboo hasn’t had any bad medical problems in months now, aside from lapses in memory, which you all know how to handle. A friend sent me a letter a week ago asking for help, so I called in a favor. I was gonna hitch a ride on Puffy’s boat, but she said she’d be here next week.”

“When were you going to say something about this?” Phil asks, leaning forward with some concern.

“Later tonight. Someone beat me to it, apparently.” Ponk shrugs.

“You’re sure it’s safe, though? We can deal with short term memory loss, but what if the other stuff comes back?” The winged man worries.

“Phil, we can find another doctor if we need. It’s not like Ponk’s th’ only one here.” Techno shifts a bit at the door.

“What he said. And I doubt that any old injuries will continue to act up. Again, I’ve been monitoring his condition for close to two, almost three years now. If I thought he was still in danger of a bad relapse, I’d have sent someone else on that boat.” The doctor explains.

The room falls into a silence as Phil and Niki nod slowly. 

“Right,” Phil starts, “Then you’d better pack if you’re going to make it in time. I see Niki’s all ready to go, so we’ll wait here to see you two off, yeah?”

Ponk nods, stands, and heads back down the hall. Phil turns to Ranboo.

“What’s on your mind, kiddo?” He asks with a soft voice. Ranboo frowns, and Niki can tell he’s struggling to find the words. The teen’s shoulders drop eventually, and he whispers.

“What if I forget you when you’re gone?”

Niki’s heart bleeds for the boy as she frowns, “Oh Ranboo,” She murmurs, making her way over and sitting next to him. With some awkward maneuvering, she’s able to toss an arm over his shoulders and hug him carefully.

“If you ever forget, I promise I will remind you. You’re doing so well remembering us, yes? You haven’t forgotten us in such a long time. It will be okay. I won’t be gone for a very long time. A few weeks at the very most, I promise.”

Phil joins the hug, “Yeah. We won’t let you forget Niki, mate. Isn’t that right, Techno?”

“Right. Think y’ can forget her? Wrong. Y’ won’t be able to. Me ‘n Phil are crap at cookin’, you’ll always at least remember her through that.” Techno chimes in.

Niki laughs. Ranboo smiles a bit. Phil drags Techno into the hug, holding his children close. 

(He prays that the gods will keep them all safe)

* * *

Niki spends the next week on a spacious boat with a crew of what she’s sure are pirates. Puffy is loud and humorous, Ponk joining in every now and again with quips that Niki has heard thousands of times. She laughs anyway.

Ponk talks about his friend, who’s apparently gotten into some demonic trouble and had sent out the letter before presumably sealing himself in a mountain. The guy’s sent Ponk a letter because there was a supposed ‘war’ going on, and Ponk was the only doctor he knew. 

“He’s got good skills, I will admit, but I swear he doesn’t use his brain sometimes. It’s like I’m the only doctor _anyone_ knows.”

“It is very nice of you to be moving so far just to help.” Niki says.

“I’d call it basic decency,” Ponk crosses his arms, eyes closed and leaning against the rail of the ship, “It’d be pretty fucked up to just leave people injured when I know I can help.”

“That is true.”

* * *

“Hey, girlie, wake up!” Puffy shakes Niki until she’s awake.

“What’s going on?” She asks, half asleep.

“Nothing bad, don’t worry your pretty little head. Just thought you’d wanna see the dock! We’re still a few minutes out, but I’m going around and waking all the late sleepers up anyway. Follow me!”

Niki nods groggily and lets Puffy drag her above deck. As she blinks the sleep out of her eyes, Niki looks toward the strip of land that is rapidly closing in. It takes a few moments for it to click, but once it does, she’s pressed against the railing and leaning out as far as she dares to, white knuckles gripping the wod.

“Woah! Careful there!”

Niki ignores Puffy and stares, disbelieving, at the land she hasn’t seen in two and a half years. It looks so different, a fully operational dock where their little hand-made fishing plank of wood used to float. People mill about, and a few small homes have shot up where she remembers the field being. So much of the forest is gone (and she knows why), but in its place is life.

Large, black and yellow walls are raised high further inland, and if she squints far enough, she can see a grand castle even further away, just barely peeking over the trees.

As a wolf hybrid spots the ship and runs for the walls, Niki wonders, _just how much did she miss?_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> REUNITE POG.... TWO!!!!
> 
> Yes Ponk was vaguing Punz, what of it
> 
> That was Jack at the end, if anyone was wondering  
> I'll explain the wolf thing later


	37. 37

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Niki is home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ponk rlly just went "seeya"
> 
> REMINDER!!! DO NOT SPOIL ANY STREAMS IN MY COMMENT SECTION OR UR COMMENT IS GETTING DELETED :) not everyone can watch the streams live! 
> 
> TW: none

Almost a year since Eret’s betrayal has passed, Tubbo thinks to himself as Jack runs through the gates. Tubbo still can’t believe how much his home has grown since then. The field holds new buildings and a small market, while the inside of L’Manburg’s walls only really house Wilbur’s home and the van. 

(Poor van, all beat up and made of patchwork metals)

Tubbo sits in one of the trees, looking out across the land that is slowly healing itself. Jack spots him and darts to the base of the tree.

“Tubbo, there’s a _giant_ boat sailing in to the dock.” He exclaims.

“Really? How big?” Tubbo asks, surprised. He starts making his way down, and pretty much falls the rest of the way down as Jack says, “Like, the-same-boat-I-came-on big!”

“You okay?” He leans over the teen, who quickly scrambles up.

“Fine! I’m fine! How close is the ship? Did you tell Wilbur yet?” Tubbo dusts himself off, walking toward the gates. Jack follows at a fast pace.

“Oh, it should be docking at any second! Thought the General already knew, though.”

“Jack, why did you tell me before Wilbur? And why just now?”

The wolf hybrid shrugs. “I just felt like it.”

Tubbo stops for a moment, gives Jack the most blank look he possibly can, and then continues walking.

“Now that I think about it, I think it was the same boat!”

“Jack!”

“What?”

“You need to say these things, man!” Tubbo laughs, lightly shoving the adult. Jack traps him in a hair-ruffle, and the two fake-struggle as Jack flings an arm around Tubbo’s shoulders.

“But I don’t wanna say these things, what about that!”

“Oh, you are the _worst_ , Jack Manifold!”

“Full naming, are we, Tubbo Tubbothy Tubbox Tubward the eighth?” 

Tubbo screeches in laughter at that, “That isn’t my name, and you know it!”

“Come on, that’s totally your name! Named you myself, I did!”

“Did not!”

“Oh yeah? Then what’s your name, strange child whom I’ve never met?”

“You know it’s just—”

“Tubbo?” Tubbo immediately stops, because he recognizes that voice. Jack knocks the bit off, letting go of Tubbo and looking around. Both pairs of eyes land on a blonde-haired goat hybrid with wide, blue eyes.

(Eret used to joke that Niki was less their twin and more of Tubbo’s)

“Niki?”

It feels like the world’s gone still— there stands his older sister, about twenty feet away, staring. Tubbo stares right back, and then shrieks loudly.

“Niki!” His face splits into a wide grin, and the staring spell is over. The siblings rush each other at the same time, colliding in a hug that sends them both sprawling into the dirt. They’ve never cared about dirty clothes too much.

Tubbo holds on with everything he’s got, and his laughter quickly turns into sobbing. Gods, he has not cried in so long. Niki hugs him just as tightly, and he’s pretty sure she’s crying, too. It is an odd sight, two people sobbing in the dusty dirt, hugging like the world’s ending, but Jack’s seen weirder.

The captain of the ship hops off of the side, jogging over. “Woah, woah, is everything okay here?” She asks worriedly.

Niki raises her head just enough to give Puffy the widest watery smile she can manage, nodding rapidly before ducking back down. Puffy glances between the two and Jack, who stands still like he doesn’t know what to do with himself. Puffy strides over, slinging an arm over his shoulders.

“So mister ‘Thunder’, got any updates on the idiot?”

“Oh! Yeah, actually, follow me! He’s got a house now!”

“Oh really? C’mon, let’s go make fun of him—” The conversation trails off as the two walk off, leaving Tubbo and Niki to their reuinition.

Ponk hops off of the boat and makes his way to the treeline.

* * *

Tubbo pulls Niki around L’Manburg, explaining the nation and waving to people as they pass. Niki spots an empty building by the docks as they make their way back around the loop, pointing it out.

“What is that?”

“Oh!” Tubbo drags her over to it. It is less building and more ‘hole dug into the side of the earth that happens to have a door and some walls’, the closer she looks at it.

“Bad used to live here with his friend!”

“Mr. Halo Bad?” Niki asks in shock.

“Yeah! He and Skeppy— that’s his friend— showed up a few months ago, and Skeppy dug a hole, but they moved out about two or three weeks back, so it’s been pretty empty since. It’s kinda small, but wanna see inside?”

“Sure!” Niki follows her little brother inside, staring up at the high doorways. They made sense, considering the previous residents, but Niki can’t help but feel so small walking through.

She walks around the space, marvelling at how beautiful it is. There are three small caves inside of it— one is slightly larger and opens up as soon as she walks through the door, looking to be the main area. The other two open to the right, and the first one seems to be a kitchen of sorts. The one farthest away is clearly a bedroom, more closed off than the other two rooms. 

It has a smaller entrance, but it is cozy nonetheless. If she looks hard enough, Niki can see an escape route in the far back of the room. Bad has always been a smart man, and Niki is sure that the route has something to do with Dream.

“Can I live here?” She blurts out. Tubbo lights up.

“Yes! Yes! Of course! Please! You’d love it in L’Manburg!” He bounces with excitement. Niki grins.

“Good, good, because I think I’d like to open a bakery here! Right in this home!” She exclaims. Tubbo gasps.

“Yes! And I could help, if you’d like! Oh, this is great! Tommy’s still horrible at cooking, but we can teach him all about baking! And Fundy definitely misses baking with you! Did you know he talks about it sometimes? He’ll be so glad to see you! And so will Tommy, and Wilbur, and Bad!”

“And Eret, too!” Niki smiles. “I’ve missed you both so, so much! Where are they, by the way? I have not gotten to hug them yet!”

Tubbo’s demeanor changes in an instant, his bright light gone.

“Tubbo? Are you okay, what’s wrong?”

He shrinks in on himself, shoulders hunching a bit. “We don’t talk to Eret anymore, Niki.” He mumbles. No ‘Et’.

“What?”

“We don’t— we don’t talk to Eret anymore. That’s it.” He says a little louder. Niki frowns.

“Why?” 

“We just don’t. Y’can ask Wil or Fundy later.”

Tubbo quietly walks out of Niki’s new home, “Come on, I’ll take you to their house.”

Niki stays put for a few moments, staring out of the doorway with a frown and shock gracing her face. 

Why didn’t Tubbo say Et…?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AAAA this one is short but that's okay because Puffy is here
> 
> Jack older brother moments
> 
> He's a wolf hybrid because there was a joke on the smp that he was a werewolf, since he "only shows up every other full moon", and I like taking things in stride
> 
> \- He came to L'Manburg on Puffy's boat under the alias of 'Thunder' (which lasted for like two weeks until Puffy found out his actual name)   
> \- He stole something from her boat (undecided yet, not a plot point)  
> \- Puffy is letting him pay her back for the thing by keeping an eye on someone for her  
> \- I'm not telling you who :)


	38. 38

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Niki just wants to know what's going on.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WOO  
> sorry this one's late, gamers, my mom got sick n I'm taking care of her atm!
> 
> Also if I wrote another fic yesterday then that's pog (it's in the series link if you wanna find it, 'This Is Not Adoption', and it'll update every other day!! Which means TWPBIWO is going back to every other day as well)
> 
> TW: mentions of possession, dehumanization

Niki lets Tubbo lead her to Wilbur’s house, which is also his house, and Fundy’s house, and Tommy’s house (no Eret). It isn’t very big, but it’s cozy, and Tubbo drags her up the wooden porch with a giddy step. He’s in a better mood, far away from the conversation of Eret.

He doesn’t knock, shoving the door open and loudly announcing himself with a, “Wil! Tommy! Fundy! Come quick!”

Niki is horrified to see all three boys run in with weapons drawn— they look prepared for a fight, and she wonders for the second time what happened. The weapons are lowered as soon as they spot Niki, and she’s run over with another hug.

“Niki!” She’s pretty sure Fundy’s the one who yelled it, but she’s not entirely sure. Either way, she hugs them as tight as she hugged Tubbo.

“Holy fuck, you’re alive! Where’s Techno, I gotta see if I’m taller than him now—” Tommy is the first to pull away, looking around for his brother. Tubbo looks around as well, like he’s only just realized that Niki is alone.

“Are they all still on the ship?” Fundy asks. Niki grimaces, peeling herself away from the Soots. 

“Where are they, Niki?” Tommy’s tone drops into something that is equally concerned and equally dangerous.

“They are safe.”

“Where?” Tommy presses.

Wilbur puts a hand on Tommy’s shoulder. “Tommy, she can’t talk if you’re talking over her.” Tommy frowns, but shuts up.

“Niki?” Wilbur prompts.

“They are safe, I promise you, but it is a long story. We may want to sit for it.”

* * *

Half an hour later, Niki finishes her tale, all four boys having stayed deathly silent for it.

“Let me get this straight,” Fundy says quietly, “You spent a week in a boat, another few days in a fucking cave, in below _freezing temperatures_ , to make sure that Dream and the others wouldn’t chase you all, and Ranboo doesn’t remember any of it, and Phil— Phil can’t fly anymore?”

Niki nods, looking down. “Like I said, Ranboo’s memory is getting better. When I left, he had not forgotten me or Phil or Techno in a month or so.”

“Phil can’t fly.” Wilbur whispers. His wide eyes land on Niki. “Can— can he at least move his wings at all?”

Niki stays silent. That is enough of an answer. The eldest Soot buries his face in his hands.

“Flying was _everything_ to Phil.” He mutters.

“No,” Niki says firmly, “ _You_ are everything to Phil— all of you— and the only reason he was not able to come and see you is because the doctors there said it was not smart, with the condition of his and Ranboo’s injuries. I am here now because I felt it was safe for the two of them to be left with Techno, and I could not stay any longer.”

She crosses her arms, folding in on herself a little, “I could not stand not knowing if you all were safe or not any longer.”

Tubbo leans on her, hugging her from the side. “We’re safe.” He says, because he isn’t sure what else to say.

Tommy makes a frustrated noise. “If I could get in there, I’d throttle Dream myself, I would!” He shouts. He tugs out his comm tablet. “You reckon Punz would throw a good punch on him?” He asks, turning to Fundy, who shrugs.

“He’s a better bet than Karl.”

Tommy whispers, “You think we could get Karl to sick Beast on him?”

“Isn’t Beast an actual dude?” Fundy whispers right back, “Doesn’t seem too humane to ask a dude to sick another dude on a third dude.”

“Beast doesn’t have a com tab, how would we get him to do it without asking Karl or Punz? I’m asking Punz to punch him. Maybe George, too. He deserves a good decking.”

“Who is Punz?” Niki asks, “And Karl? How would they get to Dream?” 

Tommy swivels to face her, blinking with wide eyes. He then twists to Tubbo, “You didn’t tell her?”

“No, not yet. I was showing her around first.”

“Tubbo, come on,” Tommy complains, “you know we gotta tell her about Karl’s weird fucking exorcism prison.”

His humor attempts to not succeed, Tubbo frowning. Tommy crosses the room to plop down on his other side. Niki can only hear them because of how close she is, and her ears. 

“What’s wrong, Tubs?”

“Eret.”

She is sure she was not meant to hear the exchange, the boys barely talking over hushed breaths. She can’t help but feel anxious about it anyway as Tubbo’s arms drop from her and Wilbur finally looks up.

“Niki,” Wilbur says, “Why don’t you come with me on a walk? I’m sure Tubbo’s already shown you L’Manburg, but I bet you haven’t seen Rutabagaville yet.”

Niki looks to her little brother, unsure, but he doesn’t look back at her. All he’s told her is that after the fire, they rebuilt. She doesn’t know what ‘Rutabagaville’ is, where Eret is, or why there are massive walls around their house— why the van Tubbo and Wilbur worked so hard on looks as if it’s been blasted in half, and rebuilt. 

She looks back to Wilbur and nods carefully. “Alright.”

Wilbur leads her outside as a notification rings out on everyone’s comm tablets. No one checks them, which confuses her, so Niki pulls hers out.

“Wait, Niki, before you read that—”

_**[ KarlJacobs** was slain by **GeorgeNotFound ]**_

Niki’s world stops for a second, without sound or breath. The message is all that exists. And the hundreds before it. The hundreds that include her twin’s name and tell tales of how many times they’ve slain.

And then Wilbur is setting a hand on her shoulder and carefully sliding the tablet away.

“Niki?”

“What the hell is going on, Wilbur?”

He avoids eye contact, instead continuing to walk. Niki has no choice but to follow if she wants answers.

“Wilbur! What is going _on_? Why is no one doing anything about these messages? Why are there so many?”

Wilbur doesn’t reply, heading for the woods (the same direction Ponk had gone, Niki recalls). 

“Wilbur!”

“Niki, please, just follow me. It’ll be easier to explain.”

“I don’t understand any of this!”

Again, he does not respond, so Niki simply picks up the pace and keeps an eye on the slight path in front of her. If she wasn’t looking for it, she’d have thought it was just a break in the trees that lined up, as they occasionally do.

It takes five minutes for the trees to start thinning, and another ten for them to stop altogether. Niki slows as she sees a hill, about five more minutes out. It looks like a cage has sprouted from the ground, with a shimmering purple film encasing it. Wibur walks right for it, Niki following, but not at quite a fast pace.

“This is Rutabagaville. It has seven residents, you know four of them.” Wilbur begins. “Inside of this— fence-cage-border-thing, three or four-ish people are working on fixing the problem.”

“The problem?” Niki dares to ask.

“The problem.” Wilbur nods.

“And what is ‘the problem’?”

Through the fences, Niki sees two people having a conversation. One is wearing a white hoodie, leaning on what (if she squints) seems to be an entrance to the likely hollow hill. The other wears a red cape, pulled close around their body, as snow falls from the inside of the border.

(It reminds Niki of a snowglobe. It is summer everywhere else, but it seems to be just as wintry and frozen as the arctic she’s sailed in from)

The person with the cape has one horn and two fluffy, brown ears. Niki’s eyes widen.

“The problem,” The man next to her says, “is possession. Dream, George, Sapnap, and Eret, all of them are being controlled. Eret has the most clarity of the four, but they’re sealed away there regardless, by choice, for the safety of themself and the others. Sapnap has brief moments of clarity, but George and Dream haven’t been able to break away on their own yet.

“The guy in the white hoodie is Punz. He’s mostly there for damage control, but Karl— that’s the guy that died about half an hour ago— is trying to teach him more magic. Karl’s not the greatest at it, but whatever he’s doing is working, so we don’t question it too much.”

Niki doesn’t exactly know how to process the information of her twin being possessed, so she quietly asks, “That’s six. You said there were seven people.”

“Ish, yeah. The seventh guy is cursed, I think. That’s what Karl’s been saying, at least. Between you and me, though, I think he just found something when he was lost and needed a friend. His name’s literally ‘Beast’, and I’m not actually sure what he does.” Wilbur shrugs.

“He’s probably also on damage control. As far as I’m aware, Beast is usually watching Dream. Threat versus threat, I guess.”

“That… does not sound very nice of you to say.” Niki mumbles, “You would not question Fundy’s humanity if he was cursed, would you?”

“That isn’t what I meant—”

“And if Beast is helping, and on your side, should you then not call him a threat?”

“Niki, come on.”

“No, Wilbur. I am confused, and frankly a bit scared. I do not want to sit here and listen to you _dehumanize_ someone who did not choose to be how they are on top of all of this.” Niki glares. “Either you are going to explain what happened here, or I will find out myself.”

Eret turns at the commotion, eyes locking with Niki’s. They stare at her, and she ignores whatever Wilbur is saying, running closer to the fencing. 

“Eret!” She shouts, and they break from their trance, jogging over. Punz walks inside. 

“Niki? How did you get here? Are you okay? Are you hurt?” Eret immediately launches into a worries spiel of questions, hands pressed against the barrier. 

“I’m okay, I am safe, what happened, Eret?” Niki holds her hands opposite to her twin’s, and she resents the fact that she cannot hug them like she can Tubbo.

Tubbo.

“Eret, please, I am confused and scared, what happened? Why? No one will tell me, it’s frustrating! Why won’t Tubbo talk about you? Eret, what happened to our family?” She cries.

Eret shuts their eyes like they’re in pain, regretful. “Niki I am so, so sorry. Please forgive me, I didn’t want to.” They whisper.

“Eret?”

“Niki, how much do you know?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry Karl (again)


	39. 39

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Karl thinks about friends.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> God I need to make another doc for this fic, it's literally 179 pages long and it keeps glitching and takes forever to load cnfncnfncnd
> 
> TW: mentions of possesion, brief self-blame, casual mention of dying way too many times than is healthy mr Jacobs, Eret cries :(

Karl wakes up facing the cavernous ceiling of good old hollowed-out Rutabagaville for about the twentieth time this week. He's not entirely sure he's lived through a whole day in about a month, but he's been getting more daylight recently, so he counts it as a success.

He's only died once today!

With no regard for his personal well-being, Karl rolls over and flings himself into a standing position. His little pocket of Rutabagaville is next to Punz's, so the first thing Karl does is shimmy out of the small entrance to his room and head for the blonde's. The opening to his room is just barely big enough for his twiggy self to fit through so that he's got some sort of protection if Dream or the others manage to escape their room. Punz's opening is similar.

Once he's popped through the doorway, he spots his new friend laying on his bed, entirely indifferent to Karl's intrusion.

"Okay, so what we know—"

"Karl we do this every time you die, I know what we know."

" _What we know_ ," Karl continues, "is that George and Dream are way harder to get through to than Sap and Eret."

"Blah blah, humans are more susceptible to possession than hybrids, la la la, anyway," Punz interrupts. "Eret's been chill for weeks, why don't we get them to help us out?"

"Because we don't know if proximity will reverse all of that."

"We should test that or something."

"That's—" Karl stops. "Actually a really good idea. Where are they?"

"Oh yeah, Wilbur stopped by with a girl earlier, Eret's talking to her. I left 'cause, y'know." The mercenary (without a current job) gestures at his neck, mocking a slice with his thumb. 

Karl nods, "Makes sense. I'm gonna stick my head out."

"'kay." Punz returns to his self-proclaimed relaxation time, which really just includes seeing how many sharp items he can juggle without having to find another band-aid.

(The cons to living in the sealed bubble is that they ran out of medical supplies about a month back; their solution to bad injuries is mercy killing and moving on)

(Food comes from a farm Eret's made much further underground— Punz likes to complain about too many potatoes)

(Eret grumbles something about their friend _only_ teaching them how to grow potatoes)

(Karl laughs)

* * *

Karl makes his way down winding stone stairs to the cave entrance. He shuffles through the exit, only moving enough of the barricade of rocks to be able to stick his head out.

He sees Eret curled up next to the barrier, crying to a girl on the other side that he's never seen before. She presses against the barrier like she's trying to break it, and it clicks that she must be Niki— Eret's twin. Karl frowns at the sight and vows to fix this as soon as he can, because really, it's his fault that the barrier is up.

(It's his fault that his friends are gone, he thinks, because if he wasn't missing, they wouldn't have had to go out so far into dangerous territory)

Karl makes eye contact with Wilbur, who stands closer to the trees, and sends him a thumbs up. Wilbur returns it, so Karl ducks back inside. It is none of his business, really, and if Eret wants to talk about it, they will.

He covers the entrance and stumbles down a ladder to find Beast. Karl is still incredibly and endlessly pissed off at Wilbur for how he acts about Beast (on the occasion that Wilbur stops by— it's usually Fundy or Bad), but he takes that anger and fuels it into motivation to fix Beast's curse, alongside the possessions. 

He misses tackling his friend like they used to when they were kids. Granted, Karl left his home town a few years before moving in with Sapnap and George and Dream, but he and Beast were always stuck like glue. He really misses being able to mess his friends' hair up— all of them. Now, he gets killed on impact when he gets too close to a too-conscious Dream, a too-tired George, or an unaware Sapnap, and Beast has too much hair to properly mess up. 

If Karl could verbally colon-forward-slash, he'd do it endlessly, he thinks. 

He's so close to fixing it all and finding the answer, and he can't wait for the day where he can break the seal and hug his friends. 

(Has he always been so clingy?)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh I'm 200% making another doc for this, I went back to check which words were italicized and it. Would Not Load for a good minute or two cncnxndnds
> 
> Anyway, Karl is CEO of minding his own buisiness and not prying in this chapter


	40. 40

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Holy shit 40 chapters
> 
> Ranboo

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one's sad :(  
> ALSO MY FRIEND FOUND THIS AND IS ANGRY AT ME FOR KARL,,,,, love her :]  
> Pangie when you get here lmk, because today (12/22) is when you found out about this 
> 
> TW: negative thought, memory loss, implied (but not described) panic attack

Every time Ranboo wakes up, he’s faced with a crushing fear — he never wakes up knowing where he is,  _ who _ he is. It’s the same thing each time (not that he remembers), waking up holding a dagger with a vice-like grip and feeling so, so lost.

The dagger that he always realizes has carved something into the ceiling. It is always the second thing he sees, clear and direct. A series of carvings, simple and blunt. Tally marks and information. He sits up to see them better.

‘Your name is Ranboo (Rahn-Bo)’

‘You are safe, you are home’

‘Your journal has what you need’

‘Your journal is on the table’

‘Number of days I wake up scared:’

(Too many tally marks— he stands on the bed and adds another)

‘Number of days I wake up knowing where I am:’

There are about eight tallies next to that one. They look recent, but old at the same time. He wonders when he carved those. Ranboo sits down at the edge of his bed and does his best to remember. He doesn’t want to check the journal yet, too stubborn to want a freebie.

(He gives in quickly)

The first page reads as following:

‘Names’

‘ The blonde man with wings is Phil. He lets you call him dad. Phil is not your dad. He won’t say who is, but it doesn’t bother you.’

‘The piglin hybrid with the crown is Technoblade. Everyone calls him Techno. Don't be scared of him. You're allowed to call him your big brother. He is not related to you.’

‘The blonde goat hybrid is Niki. She is as old as Techno (older than you, but you don't know how much, sorry). Niki is your sister. She is not related to you.’

‘Tubbo. Don’t ask about Tubbo.’

‘Tommy. Don’t ask about Tommy.’

‘Tommy and Tubbo are probably just imaginary friends, Ponk said. Ponk is the doctor with the red/black/yellow mask thing. I think he called them coping mechanism?? Not sure.’

Ranboo flips through the pages.

‘You are 14. 15. 16. ??? Somewhere around there. Younger than Niki. Older than the kids outside. Don’t go outside. Snow burns (not as bad as water —  **_do not touch water!!!!!_ ** )!!!’

‘Head hurting is normal.’

He finds the most recent pages, frowning.

‘I’m scared I’m gonna forget again. I haven’t forgotten in a whole week! I’m doing really good. I don’t think Niki knows about this notebook. I don’t want to forget.’

‘I don’t want to forget.’

‘I’m gonna forget. I know I will. I always do. That’s what this is for! Ponk and Niki left seven days ago. I remember that. Ponk isn’t coming back, but Niki is. Phil said that Niki should be docking either today or tomorrow. Niki said she’s coming back in a few weeks.’

‘Please don’t forget them. I haven’t forgotten them in so long. I don’t even have to look at the book or their collars to remember anymore.’

Ranboo slams the notebook shut with shallow breaths.

He’s forgotten.

  
  


* * *

  
  


Phil wakes up late in the day with a sigh. He doesn’t particularly want to be awake right now, because he’s very comfortable, and the blankets are just so cozy. Still, he rolls over and sits himself up. Something feels wrong, but he isn’t sure what. 

He sits there for a bit longer, stretching and waking up fully, before deciding to start the day— afternoon. It is afternoon. Phil stands and yawns his way to the closet to find his day clothes, ignoring how his wings drag on the ground behind him like an overly-long cape.

(He stands at the closet, his wings still touch the bed, not that he can feel it)

(He used to soar high on massive wings)

(He does not regret using them as a shield.)

Once dressed, Phil fiddles with his wings, manually pulling them up with his arms, bundling them into what would be a collapsed, resting position by hand. Once they are softly bound, he sets to work with the harness meant to keep them upright. The weight of them hanging down is awful for his back, as well as his shoulder blades, and the bones inside of the wings themselves, so he and Ponk had worked together to create a harness to alleviate the pressure.

(He cannot feel his wings, but he can definitely feel the rest of his body)

Just as the last mechanism is in place, a knock sounds on his door. 

“Come in!”

Techno pokes his head in, waving at his dad. “Just wanted t’ see if you were up yet. Need help?”

“No,” Phil smiles, “But thank you for asking. How are you? Did you sleep last night?”

His son wanders into the room, sitting on his bed. “‘M fine. Didn’t sleep.”

“Ah, mate, you should’ve woken me up.”

“Y’ need your sleep.”

“And you need to not be left alone so much.” Phil counters. Techno shrugs. “Turn around, your hair’s a mess.”

With an eye roll, Techno shuffles to the side and turns around, Phil sitting behind him. Phil carefully undoes the tangled mess of a bun and sets to work straightening it out.

“What are we feeling today? Braid? Ponytail?”

“Braid.”

“Gotcha.”

The next ten minutes is a flow of calm conversation and carefully braided hair. Techno decides that Phil should also get a braid (as he usually does), so Phil allows his son to weave his short hair into a matching style.

“Let me guess, Ranboo’s walking around with one of those tiny braids as well?” Phil jokes. The youngest boy’s hair is too short for a proper braid, so he ends up with smaller plaits buried under the rest of his messy hair.

“Nah, ‘nless he’s still got ‘em from, like, two days ago. Haven’t seen him all day.”

Phil straightens his back, turning to look at Techno. “Really?”

“Yeah.” Techno replies, worry disguised behind a blank expression. “Kid’s been in his room. Came t’ talk to you about it, but I got distracted.”

“Would you like me to check on him?”

“Looks like you’re goin’ to no matter what I say.” Techno points out. A pause. “Yeah.”

Phil stands, “Come on, then, let’s go see what’s wrong. You’re coming, too.”

  
  
  
  


Phil knocks on his current youngest son’s door, and gets a hum in response. He nudges the door open to see Ranboo sitting in the corner of his room, arms around his legs, chin resting on his knees. 

“Ranboo? Can we come in?” Phil calls carefully.

Ranboo looks in his direction, unblinking, but there. He nods slowly, so Phil pulls Techno into the room and closes the door.

“Is everything okay?”

Ranboo shrugs, so Phil walks over with light feet and sits next to him. Techno sits on the other side of the teen.

“What’s buggin’ y’, kid?”

He digs his chin further into his knees and looks at the floor. Phil rests a hand on his back and sends Techno a concerned look. Techno shuffles a bit.

“Your name’s Ranboo. Mine’s Techno. That’s Phil. You’re safe here, promise. It’s home. We’re sittin’ in your room, and it’s somewhere around three, I think.”

Techno is good at grounding people. He’s good with facts and figures and cold-hard truths. Sometimes that’s all someone needs in order to calm down. 

Ranboo nods.

“You okay?” However, Techno is less than perfect with emotions. That’s usually Phil’s job, but right now he feels like it’s his responsibility. 

(He did find Ranboo in the first place, after all)

There’s a long while of silence before the teen responds.

“I forgot again.”

Phil frowns in sympathy, pulling his arm fully around the kid in a hug. Techno reaches over and begins a small braid in his brother’s hair.

“That’s fine,” Phil says. “We’re not going anywhere.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fambly,,,
> 
> Local disabled writer writes disabilities and accomodations because he wants to show that they're nothing to be afraid of and they aren't something to be pitied dot jpeg
> 
> * Also if I get one more comment about Dream being 'a fucking psycho' I'm going to scream and the fic will be delayed at least two days. Using people's illnesses and disabilities as a fucking insult is disgusting and I hate you, this is genuinely a personal attack. Psychopathy is NOT a synonym for violent or malicious or murderous. You're just ableist. Get fucked, don't come back, I hate you.


	41. 41

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A new face (mask?)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> MMMMMMMMMM ME GUSTAAAAAAA that is your hint for this chapter
> 
> Please I tried uploading this three times please 
> 
> TW: none

Tubbo is in charge of greeting new people, now that the war is over. Each time Puffy’s ship sails into the port, Jack jogs over and lets Tubbo know. Tubbo heads to the dock, and if there are new people, he shows them around.

He meets all sorts of cool people that way— hybrids and humans and kids and adults, people seeking a calm, new life. He wonders how many of them know what happened here. He drags Tommy with him, sometimes. Most of the time, actually. Tommy always wanders off, though, usually to Niki’s new bakery.

A week before Tommy’s birthday, Tubbo decides that he wants to do something big for his brother. Tommy hasn’t had a good birthday since he was fourteen, and Tubbo wants to fix that, so when a man with red dust on his fingers hops off of Puffy’s ship, the teen bounds right up to him.

“Hello! Welcome to L’Manburg, safe haven for any and all,” He rushes his introduction, “My name is Tubbo, nice to meet you, do you have any extra redstone on you?”

The man laughs at Tubbo’s rushed and loud words, but it is not malicious. He is a creeper hybrid, easily made known by the bits of green fuzz that litter random bits of exposed skin, as well as the green hair that subtly switches shades every so often. The top portion of his face is covered by a cartoony creeper mask, and the lower half shows explosion-like scars and sharp teeth in a kind smile.

“Hello!” He says. “My name is Sam. It’s good to meet you, Tubbo, right? ‘Course I have more redstone on me. What’re you working on?”

Tubbo rocks on his heels and launches into an explanation, detailing how he wants to build a music player from scratch— one that won’t ever break. Sam grins.

“I can definitely help out with that, but you should probably ask your parents before you run off with a stranger, kid.”

Tubbo shakes his head, “I don’t have those, it’s fine. Plus, I’m sixteen, and that’s pretty much an adult, so it isn’t that big of a deal.”

Sam stops. Apparently, it is that big of a deal, judging by the way his mouth drops slightly before twisting into a worried smile.

“Do you have a guardian?”

“Like those big fish? No. I did catch a puffer a few days ago, though. His name’s Phukkit.”

Sam snorts, but quickly returns to his serious demeanor. “No, no, I mean like a family member who’s in charge of you. Or a friend— an adult friend, not another kid.”

“I have an older sister!” Tubbo says, starting to drag Sam toward the small town. “She’s working right now, though, so we shouldn’t bother her. She’s very nice, though! Just busy. People really like bread.”

Sam lets himself be dragged around, Tubbo’s words flying at a mile a minute in the quickest tour he’s ever seen. He worries behind his mask about the teenager dragging him around. From what he can see, the other children in the growing town act their age, but the one he’s following acts like an adult, and no one seems to take issue with that.

(And he only knows one other kid that acts too old to be a teen)

(He hopes the situations are not similar)

He’ll figure it out later.

* * *

  
  
  


When the sun begins to set, Tubbo pulls Sam back toward the dock. Instead of walking along the planked wood, though, the blonde leads him to a dugout area, a storefront embedded in a hill. He opens the door, letting Sam follow (and it’s finally a door he doesn’t have to duck through).

“Tommy! Niki! Fundy! I made a friend!” Tubbo shouts into the building. A loud groan of complaint follows from somewhere inside.

“Tubbo! You took so long!” A rather tall teen (still shorter than Sam) mopes, dragging himself out of the closest door. Sam can smell something burnt.

The teen stops when he sees Sam, tensing up and quickly dragging Tubbo toward him, all playful demeanor and fake annoyance wiped clean away.

“Tub, who’s that?” It sounds more like a statement than a question.

Sam waves carefully, deciding it’s probably not safe to make sudden movements around these kids. “My name’s Sam. Just landed here.” He smiles gently.

The teen glares as two more people exit the side room. It must be a kitchen, because the short girl is holding a rolling pin and has an apron on, and the fox hybrid is covered in flour. Both are on guard as soon as they see Sam.

He notes how the girl’s grip on the pin tightens. 

“What’s wrong?” Tubbo asks, genuinely confused. 

“He’s all green and shit. Mask and everything!” The boy with the red horns exclaims. Something seems to click for Tubbo. 

“Oh. Oh! Oh gods—” He fumbles, backing up. The fox hybrid speaks up.

“Who are you and do you know a man named Dream?” He asks. His voice is as sharp as his teeth.

Sam raises his hands in surrender. “My name is Sam. I don’t know anyone named Dream. I’m a redstone mechanic, lived alone for about six years now. I won’t stay if you don’t feel safe with me around.”   
  
“You’re damn right we don’t feel safe with you around.”   
  


“Tommy, be nice.” The girl mutters to the tall teen.

Tommy doubles his glare toward Sam. "I don't have to be nice to people I don't trust." As an afterthought, "Don't tell him my name.”

The girl sighs and loosens her grip on the rolling pin. “We do not trust you, but if you are going to be living here, you’ve probably been introduced to everyone else. Tubbo seems fond of you, so I am going to pray you are a good person. I will be holding you to this.”

Sam nods.

“If you hurt anybody here, you will be dealt with swiftly.”

Sam can tell by the look in her eyes that she isn’t messing around, so he nods once more. She sizes him up and nods shortly.

“Good. My name is Niki. This is Fundy,” Niki points a scarred hand toward the fox hybrid, “and that is Tommy.” Tommy groans.

“It’s a pleasure.” The creeper hybrid says with a kind smile. Fundy relaxes slightly. Score.

“Fundy, take Sam to General Soot, alright?” Niki turns to her flour-coated friend.

“But the bakery—”

“—Will be perfectly fine. I was planning on closing early today, anyway. Puffy is in town, and I promised to help her track down J.”

Fundy’s face twists in confusion. “Did he move again?”

“No, but you know he’ll be at someone else’s house anyway.” Niki sighs. She heads back into the kitchen, Tubbo following hesitantly, and Tommy trailing after him.

Fundy stares up at Sam, as if calculating how fast he could run should Sam turn on him. It breaks the green-haired man’s heart.

“Well, come on.” The boy finally says, dusting off his shirt and passing Sam to reach the door. “Off to see the almighty ‘General Soot’.” 

He says it with so much sarcasm that Sam can’t help but to snort. “Why do you say it like that, if I may ask?” He follows the shorter out of the bakery dugout.

“What, you’ve never made fun of your siblings? Wil’s only like, two years older than me. I get to make fun of him.”

“Ah. I’m an only child.” Sam says. Fundy makes a face at him.

“Sounds lonely.”

“How many siblings do you have? Just the Soot guy?” 

Fundy hops over a hole in the ground. “Gimme a minute. Wil’s my only biological brother, but other than him, I’ve got one other older brother, then there’s Tommy, and we’ve adopted Tubbo into our family, which then pulls Niki in, too. Then I’ve got another younger brother, so seven.”

Sam does the math in his head. “But you only said six people? Unless you’re counting yourself, of course.”

Fundy stops for a second, like the gods have hiccupped or something. A stutter in movement, so to say. He picks up the pace. “ _Six_. Yeah, six, you’re right. Miscounted.”

Fundy’s shoulders hold the slightest bit more tension than before, and his footsteps are just a little heavier. Sam decides it isn’t in his best interest to press. Nothing wrong with a miscount.

“Don’t worry about it, happens to the best of us.” He shrugs.

The fox hybrid glances at Sam’s hands for a second. “So Tubbo dragged you off before you got a chance to wash your hands, huh?”

Quickly, the taller shoves his hands into his pockets, redstone dust getting on his pant legs. “Oh— yeah. Guess so.”

“Cool. What sort of things do you make, then? You said you were an engineer, but you probably only tricked Tommy and Niki with that one. Engineers don’t walk around with redstone at the hip and all over their hands.” Fundy notes.

“Ah. You’re a smart one, huh?”

“Foxes, dude, foxes.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> POG POG POG POG
> 
> Sorry it's late, had people over


	42. 42

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sam lies, Tommy pries.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello. This wasn't supposed to be sad but my friend Ash said 'Sam Angst' so now there's Sam angst, you're welcome
> 
> TW: implied PTSD, mentioned character death, implied mourning, implied self-blame, mentioned explosions

Sam spends the next week fixing things. Fundy rats him out the second he gets, and the ‘engineer’ admits to not actually having a job. He laughs when he tells them he only wanted to sound smart or useful to calm them down further.

Niki just smiles and nods at him, and he feels like he’s gained her respect, at the very least. He promises himself to never lose that respect, because he’s pretty sure it’s the only thing keeping Tommy from cursing him out at every given chance. 

(Though Sam quickly learns that that is just how Tommy is)

(Sam also learns very fast just how nosy Tommy is, and it goes like this)

* * *

The first time Tommy pries for information is a day after Sam meets Wilbur (who is a very respectable man, but Sam’s heart hurts when he learns that the man isn’t even thirty yet, still practically a teen).

The blonde stomps right up to him and loudly asks, “The fuck do you need a mask for? Is your face all fucked up or something?”

Sam can’t help but laugh. “In a sense, yeah.” He watches Tommy flounder for a second, like the kid thinks he’s messed up.

“Oh.” Tommy is what comes up with, and Sam laughs just a little harder. “Don’t laugh at me! How was I supposed to know?” He whines.

“I’m not laughing at you, Tommy, I’m laughing at the situation!” The man replies, “No one’s ever just— walked up and demanded answers like that!”

“Well they’re just pussies, then! Not me, though, I’m a massive man with the biggest fucking brain you’ll ever find!” Tommy crosses his arms.

“You’re definitely ambitious, that’s for sure.” 

“Shut up, _you’re_ ambitious, bitch.”

Sam laughs again, “Do you know what that means?”

Tommy stops for a moment, thinking as hard as he can. His tail flicks angrily when he can’t find the answer. He declares that question irrelevant, and noisily changes the subject.

“What’s your face look like, anyway? Scarred or something? We all have those, it doesn’t fucking matter.”

Sam shrugs, “Well yeah, you can already see that where it doesn’t cover.” He gestures toward his jaw, littered in large explosion scars. “But it’s mostly for other people.”

“How?”

“My eyes tend to scare people.” The creeper hybrid says simply. 

Tommy pulls a face, “How?” He asks again. “They’re just eyes.”

“Let me rephrase,” Sam makes a noise between a sigh and a breathy laugh, “My eyes tend to scare _humans_.”

Tommy makes another face, though it’s more grossed out and confused than anything. “Humans are fucking weird.”

Sam finds himself laughing again. “They are, they are.” He says. “You’re a good kid, Tommy.”

“Of course I am! I’m Tommy fucking Innit!”

The man grins and promises himself that he won’t let anything happen to this kid, at least not if he can help it.

* * *

The second time that Tommy pries is a few days after that conversation. He doesn’t stom up to Sam this time, rather he simply pops up next to the man as he works. 

“Why’re you wearing gold shit?” He asks. “Why’s your shirt blue now? Where’d you even get that stuff?”

Sam snorts and pats the ground next to him, inviting the teen to sit. Tommy drops down into a cross-legged sit. 

“I wanted to change it up.” Sam says. 

(Sam lies)

“Isn’t your whole thing green, though? Matching with the creepers or something?” Tommy asks.

Sam lies easily, “Well, it was mostly to blend in with the trees. I’m from a very forested area, and like I said, I’ve been alone for about six years—” (another lie)— “so I was mostly wandering. You probably already know that mobs don’t go after hybrids as often as they do humans, but it’s always easier to stay safe.”

“So why’d you change it? You had a whole fucking brand going, man!” Tommy hunches forward, elbows on his knees and chin on his fists. 

“Tommy, it’s only been four days.” Sam points out with a smile.

“And? When you have a thing, you stick with it! Everyone knows that, _gods_!” The blonde heaves a dramatic sigh that has Sam laughing again.

“Oh shut up, bitch, all you do is laugh at me.”

“I do other things!” Sam defends.

“All Sam knows is laugh at Tommy Innit, redstone, and make pumpkin pie! Pumpkin _lie_!”

“Hey, pumpkin pie is good!”

"Tastes like lies!" Tommy cackles, shoving an unmoving Sam in the side. He tries again. And again. And again.

"Why are you made of fucking concrete, bitch, move!" He shouts, and Sam laughs louder.

"You can't move me, you little gremlin of a child! Sam is in work-mode!" 

"Fuck your work-mode!" Tommy tries pushing Sam again, still failing. "Fuck you!" He drags out the 'you', groaning and flopping down theatrically. 

"Come on, you've got more in you than that." The mechanic taunts lightly, returning to his work. 

The afternoon goes by, filled with Tommy complaining about Sam's 'immovable object-ness' to everyone that passes by. He is successfully distracted from his original questioning, or he's satisfied with the given answer. Sam isn't sure, but he is glad to not have to give a real response.

(If he's lied to save Tommy's pride, no one has to know)

(It is enough that Tommy doesn't jump to grab a weapon every time he sees Sam in the corner of his eye anymore— bright green turning into darker teal, with gold armor plating)

(Sam even crafts himself a golden circlet to break up the green of his hair, since he cannot change it)

(If the teens aren't as scared of him anymore, Sam thinks he'll do anything)

* * *

The third time Tommy pries (and the last time he gets to for a long, long time) is at the beginning of Sam’s second week in L’Manburg. 

Sam is in Niki’s bakery, having been offered a job by the girl herself. She plans to leave it in his and Fundy’s care when she sails back to retrieve the rest of her family in another week— Fundy’s other two brothers and his father. 

The tallest man in the town hunches low to pull a few fresh loaves of bread out of the oven as Tommy sits on the counter, bored. Tubbo and Fundy are out doing ‘redstone things’ (finishing up their gift for Tommy’s birthday, which is a day away, Sam remembers) so Tommy’s chosen Sam to bug for the day.

He watches the man set the bread on a cooling rack and turn to slip more dough rolls into the oven. This time his question is not loud or showy, but subdued and serious.

“Why do you look so sad all the time, Sam?” He asks. 

Sam straightens his back so fast that Tommy is surprised it doesn’t crack. He whirls his gaze to the boy, and even with only his mouth showing, Tommy can tell that Sam is at a loss. He gapes for a moment, opening and closing his mouth like he’s looking for an answer that isn’t there. 

It takes a few seconds for him to settle into a smile that Tommy knows is faking confusion. Sam wipes his hands on his pants, flour brushing away.

“What do you mean?” He asks.

“It’s pretty straight-forward, man, I asked why you’re all sad ‘n shit all the time.” Tommy gestures to the air. “You get this weird fucking look when you think we aren’t looking. Your smile gets all sad, or at least that’s how Tubbo describes it. So what’s up?”

Sam leans on the counter next to the oven, shoving his hands in his pockets. His mouth forms a thin line as he tries to think up a lie.

“Don’t lie to me, Sam. You do that a lot, too, like what the fuck? What don’t you want us to know?” Tommy’s voice takes an edge Sam isn’t expecting.

“I don’t lie to you, Tommy.”

“You do! When I asked you about your mask, you said your eyes ‘scare humans’! There aren’t any fucking humans here, so there’s no reason to hide your eyes, so that was a lie! When I asked why you stopped being all green, you said you ‘just wanted to change it up’. Call my people skills shit if you want, but you aren’t someone that changes shit on a whim!” Tommy exclaims. 

“You are literally _so_ easy to read, so why are you lying?” He crosses his arms with a deep shrug.

Sam looks down for a moment, and finds himself caught. Purpled always said he was a horrible liar, and Sam guesses the kid was right.

“Okay.”

“Okay? The hell does that mean?”

“It means I’ll tell you, but I’m only saying this once, so listen.” Tommy nods, and Sam sighs.

“They aren’t, what’s the word, malicious lies. They’re not bad. Or they’re not _meant_ to be bad, anyway.” He shrugs. “They’re supposed to, I don’t know, spare your pride or something.”

“The hell does my pride have to do with this?”

“You’re a very emotional person, Tommy, and you’re going to see this as pity. It isn’t. I keep my mask on so that I don’t scare _you_. I changed what I wear so that I don’t scare _you_. You’re a kid, Tommy. You shouldn’t have to deal with getting scared out of your skin because you thought you saw something else when you saw me. I’m not gonna ask what happened, and I’m not gonna ask anyone else, either, because frankly, it’s none of my business. That's your story to tell if you ever even choose to. All I know is that people wearing primarily green freak you out, and I’m honestly worried that my eyes are gonna scare you, too.” Sam explains.

“And I don’t want to scare you. You don’t deserve that.” He ends, hands still in his pockets and eyes still on the ground.

Tommy stays silent for a long while, long enough for the oven to beep and long enough for more bread to be set for cooling, and long enough for more to be put in. When Sam shuts the oven door again, Tommy finally speaks.

“You still didn’t explain why you’re sad. Is it ‘cause you think you scare me or some shit? Because you don’t. Nothing fucking scares me.” It’s Tommy’s turn to lie, and he knows that Sam knows it’s a fib.

(Sam doesn’t say anything about it, and Tommy is silently grateful) 

“Tommy, that’s a real long story.” Is what he replies with.

“We’ve been here all day, man, you have time to tell it. No lies.” 

Sam frowns a bit, but decides that he doesn’t have anything to lose. “I used to know a kid around your age. He was probably a year older, though.”

He pauses, and when Tommy doesn’t interrupt, he continues.

“He lived with me for a very, very long time, uh, probably around six-ish years.” Sam watches Tommy make the connection between that and his story of being ‘alone’. “I called him my kid, and he almost called me dad once. He was around twelve when I found him, though, so it never stuck, and I was fine with that, you know? Family doesn’t have to call each other family if they don’t want to, the connection’s still there and all.”

“You’re stalling.” Tommy says.

“I am.” Sam sighs, fidgeting with his hands. “I am.”

“What happened to him?”

It is Sam’s turn to be silent, to watch the bread bake. 

“I was stupid. And he died because of it.” He says, shutting any emotion out of the sentence. “He’s a smart kid, he can survive on his own, and I know he can, but we were very, very far from respawn, and I’d blown up his bed on accident. I woke up, he was gone, his bed was gone, the log said he’d died, and I was still there. I hadn’t reached my own bed, I guess. Just outside of the blast radius.”

Tommy frowns, deflating a bit and hugging himself. For all of the TNT that Dream liked to use during the war, Tommy’s never died to an explosion. 

“So he’s back at spawn?” He asks quietly.

“No, not anymore. He’s too smart for that.”

“How long ago was it?”

“A year, about. I’ve been making my way to spawn as fast as I can and hoping he meets me halfway. I’m not sure he wants to, really.” Sam smiles again, and it’s that sad one that Tommy was asking about in the first place.

“Well that’s bullshit. If it was an accident and he’s as smart as you say he is, then he’s running all the way back. Like some sort of chicken with it’s head cut off.” Tommy states matter-of-factly, so sure of himself that Sam believes him to some degree.

“Also, you’re fucking stupid.” Tommy adds. Sam snorts.

“Yeah? And why’s that, wise guy?”

“You stopped here, duh! You can’t just give up on a guy like that!” The teen throws his arms into the air. “Why the hell would you do that?”

The oven beeps. Sam pulls out the last few loaves of bread. He turns the oven off, glancing out of a window Niki’s carved. He sees Wilbur and Tubbo running toward the bakery, Fundy jogging behind them. Sam looks back at Tommy.

“It’d be stupider to leave you knuckleheads to your own devices.”

“Wh— _Hey_!” Tommy shouts, and Sam sprints out of the bakery as Tommy jumps off the counter to chase him. They fly passed the trio, and Tubbo catches his friend screaming, “Who the fuck are you calling a knucklehead, bitch?”

Tubbo laughs loudly and joins the chase. 

(Sam swears he won’t let anything happen to these kids, not as long as he’s there)

(He’s not sure how, exactly, he’ll stop any threats, but he is good with redstone and he is good with traps)

(It’ll work out.)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sam wants to keep everyone safe :( 
> 
> The kid he was taking care of was Purpled, who will show up later :] 
> 
> Believe it or not, this is all filler until the next arc, which should start up after the next two chapters
> 
> If you somehow some way interpret anything in this fic as romance, I'm going to snipe you. Listen, I have family issues too, but people showing kindness and compassion to each other doesn't fucking mean they're romantically attracted to each other. Healthy relationships exist outside of romance!!!!!!! Be kind to the people around you!!!!!!!!


	43. 43

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Karl is bored of dying.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow that summary made this seem sad, huh? 
> 
> THINK AGAIN!!!!!

Karl’s given up on counting how many times he’s died at this point. Punz says it got depressing after the forty mark, anyway. 

That being said, Karl doesn’t roll out of bed and pop back up when he dies this time. He stares at the ceiling and thinks for a moment instead. His skin is a map of scars now, and even if it should make him at least a little wary of his friends, he always runs right back down. He traces the one that goes down the middle of his face, knowing that while it’s been covered by quite a few others, it still remains.

Karl frowns a bit. He’s not giving up, not in the slightest, but gods, he’s so bored. There isn’t much entertainment in dying, and as he sits up, he decides it’s time for a break— a change of pace.

He reaches for the book he was given, pages worn already from how many times he’s read it over and over again. He’s sure there was a short chapter about curses somewhere in there.

* * *

Punz sits in the far corner of what he’s decided to call the ‘Karl Death Room’. It’s just Dream, George, and Sapnap’s room, carved deep, deep under the ground, really, but amusement is amusement. The blonde stares at the restrained trio from his corner, doing his damndest to mock them.

Beast makes a noise between a huff and a snort as Punz tosses a few pebbles at them.

“What? I’m bored.”

Beast makes a face.

“You act like I have the capability to be productive in this situation, man. I don’t know anything about your fancy magic hee hoos, and I doubt you guys need any harming potions right now.” Punz points out. He’s technically got mage blood, yes, but it’s not like he’s ever been taught squat about it.

Aside from the potions.

He tosses another rock and snorts as it hits Dream right in the crack of his mask. Punz is still incredibly proud of himself for that one. He doesn’t know the guy that well, but he does know that possession or not, breaking the dude’s mask was fun and funny (at least to him. Before the whole sword-to-the-gut-in-retaliation bit, of course).

Dream starts cursing at him, thrashing around in the chains, but all Punz does is laugh harder.

“Trust me, dude, you’re gonna come out of here less guilty ‘cause of me! Instead of thinking ‘oh man, I deserve death for all the shit I put those _children_ through’, you’re gonna think ‘I deserved those rocks’. Foolproof plan, I’m telling you. I should be a therapist!”

“You really shouldn’t!” Karl finally tumbles down the ladder, book in hand. Punz sits up a little.

“Why d’you have the book this time? You know this stuff like the back of your hand.” He asks, ignoring how Dream curses louder. Karl does not ignore Dream.

“Hey, why’s Dream so mad?”

“Because that asshole has been throwing rocks at me for the past hour and a fucking half!” Dream shouts. 

“Punz, come on, dude.” Karl frowns. “We’re helping them, not trying to make them kill me again.”

“I didn’t do it. He’s lying.” Punz blurts out. Karl goes to speak again, but the blonde stands up quickly and slings an arm over his shoulder. “So! What are we doing today? More exorcism? The usual?”

Karl is successfully distracted, which Punz takes as a score. “Nope!” Punz removes his score. 

“Then what else are we doing?” He asks warily. Karl shrugs his arm off and speed-walks to Beast.

“Something that probably isn’t smart, but I’m bored and don’t feel like dying again today.” Is all the brunette says with a grin. Beast makes a face.

“Follow me!” Karl cheers.

* * *

The colorful man drags Punz and Beast outside, saying something about ‘needing a lot of space’ for what he was about to do. Punz does his best not to question the extra bundle of clothes. He does, he really, really does. 

“Karl why did you take my stuff?”

“Don’t worry about it.”

Punz can’t even argue on that one, because he’s used that exact excuse endless times before. 

“What are we doing, anyway?”

“Magic hee hoo stuff.” Karl replies. “Beast, go stand over there. Yeah, right there! Perfect!”

Beast stands a few feet in front of Punz and Karl, just as confused as the human. Karl hands the bundle of clothes to Punz.

“Okay, I’m gonna be throwing this—” Karl produces a strange potion from his hoodie pocket— “So I’m gonna need you to throw those, okay? Like a second or two after this.”

“Karl, what even _is_ that?”

“Break-y curse potion. Supposedly.” He shrugs. Punz reels back and snatches the potion from Karl. “Hey—!”

“Karl, do you understand how _dangerous_ this is?” Punz has never been more serious than when faced with potion work. “What did you put in here— _exactly_ , Karl, down to where you got the fucking water for it?”

Karl fumbles for a moment, tugging the book out of the hoodie pocket as well. He holds it out to Punz. “Page eighty-three. I followed it to the letter, promise.”

Punz plays musical chairs with everything in his hands, and eventually Karl just opens the book himself and holds it up for his friend to read. The blonde scans the instructions and ingredients (and side-effects) with a trained eye. He reads it four times over.

“And you did everything exactly how this said?”

“Mhm.” Karl nods. Punz hesitates, but hands the bottle back to him. 

“Okay. Okay.” He turns to face Beast, who looks like he’s having a big ‘what the fuck’ moment. Punz doesn’t blame him. “You wanna get this curse broken?” He asks.

Beast stares at the bottle, then looks to Karl, then the book, then Punz, then back to the bottle again. He narrows his eyes, blinks slowly, and lets out a long sigh. He nods.

“Cool. Stand still.” Punz backs up a bit, just to be safe.

Karl uncorks the bottle and splashes it on his friend. The effects begin immediately, steam pouring off of Beast in waves, and Punz tosses the clothes into the rapidly growing steam cloud before pulling Karl back.

The steam begins to clear about a minute or two, and as it does, Punz turns himself and Karl around. “Shout when you have the clothes on! Or like. Yell if that did nothing!” 

A few more minutes of fumbling noises and plenty of thuds that Punz can only assume is Beast falling over and eating shit, and they finally get a response.

“Good!” A new voice shouts. “Small, but good!”

The first thing Punz says when he turns around is a grand old, “You had to be fucking tall, didn’t you?” 

Karl, on the other hand, screams very, very loudly, excited that his friend is back. The new Beast, tall and brown-haired, is once again sent to the ground via tackle, Karl having spent no time running at the man.

“Karl, you’re gonna kill the guy—”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy chapter, just for you :]
> 
> Also I swear I'm character tagging Beast now


	44. 44

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ranboo should know him, right?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wooooooooo pog chapter, new character tag!!!
> 
> TW: mentions of fighting rings, mentions of implied deaths, hearing voices
> 
> // Don't worry about the Galactic used here, all it says is 'Ranboo'!

Ranboo wakes up knowing where he is and who he is. It feels like a rush of fresh air. He knows where he is. He knows who he is. He knows that the ceiling is carved before he opens his eyes. He knows that Phil gave him his dagger before he looks at it. 

He sits up with a grin, weapon in hand. Standing on the bed comes easily, and soon a ninth tick mark is added to the list named ‘Number Of Days I Wake Up Knowing Where I Am’. He can’t wait to tell Niki. She’ll be sailing back in a week, but the journey takes about seven days, so he’ll see her in two weeks.

Ranboo pulls on day clothes as quick as he can and heads out of his room, journal in hand. He’ll always carry it, just in case. He darts back into his room to grab a pen as well. He may know where he is, who he is, and the like, but he’s always been a little forgetful.

Easily distracted, as Fundy would say.

Ranboo stops in his tracks. That’s a new name. He flips through the journal— nope, ‘Fundy’ is nowhere in his handwriting. He flips to a new page, labels it with the date, and quickly scribbles down the name. 

As he writes, Ranboo walks to the big living room, making himself at home on the couch. He zeroes in on Fundy’s name and thinks as hard as he can. He thinks of orange, redstone, pianos, and Wilbur.

He writes the second name on a different page and continues listing the small details for about five more minutes before he can’t remember anything else.

A van.

Music.

Brothers.

Foxes.

Loud.

Family.

It’s not much, but he treasures the hints. He flips back to the front of the journal to check the spelling of ‘Tubbo’ and ‘Tommy’ before flipping back and copying their names down a second time. He’ll do his best with them as well.

All he gets is ‘light haired’. That’s alright.

What isn’t alright, though, is being the only one awake at the moment. It is just barely sunrise, and he’s not sure what to do when someone knocks on the door. 

Ranboo freezes at the noise and tries to wait it out. It doesn’t work, because the knocking comes again. He closes his journal, holding it to his chest as he stands. His dagger is sharp and heavy at his waist as he inches toward the door. He can’t go outside, because it’ll burn him, but he can open the door, right…?

The large door creaks open slowly, and Ranboo looks down at someone who looks like he should remember them. Their face is obscured by a purple hood and a grey mask, but dirty blonde hair pokes out of the hood, and vibrant purple eyes widen at the sight of him. They are taller than they should be, but still shorter than Ranboo (which isn’t a hard feat).

They stumble over their words for a moment before squinting in disbelief and humming out something Ranboo knows by heart.

“∷ᔑリʖ𝙹𝙹?” Their voice is scratchy, but the Galactic is clear and dictated. It’s likely their first language, as it is for the Ender-hybrid himself.

Ranboo holds his dagger a little tighter. “How do you know my name?”

* * *

Techno wakes up to two more voices than usual. One, he recognizes as his younger brother, but the other is new. He pulls himself out of bed quickly and doesn’t bother with his hair further than pulling it into a ponytail. 

Grabbing the axe that is always next to his bed, Techno silently makes his way out to follow the voices. The ones that aren’t verbal, rather mental, tell him about a stranger. They tell him to make a sacrifice— save his family. 

He ignores them, as he has for the majority of his life.

Turning the corner to the living room, Techno sees something he equally is and is not expecting. Ranboo is there, of course, but there’s a total stranger sitting on the couch with him. 

(the stranger looks familiar, but he can’t place why)

It’s a young boy, somewhere around the end of his teens, Techno suspects. He is taller than he should be, and has dirty blonde hair that is hard to distinguish from his grey-ish skin at first. A purple cloak covers the majority of his body, hood pulled down. A grey mask is pulled below his chin.

The two boys are speaking in a language Techno understands, but refuses to translate. It is Galactic; the language of the End. Spoken in hums and gurgles and sighs, the older teen seems to be trying to explain something to Ranboo. 

Techno catches ‘Hypixel’ and steps in quickly, axe over his shoulder.

“Hey.” He grunts. “Who are you and how did’ja get in here?” Techno looms over the teen as much as he can. 

The teen doesn’t have much of a reaction, turning his head only, and looking quite bored. The voices scream when Techno sees eyes so purple that they’re literally glowing. He knows those eyes.

“Why do I need to tell you?” He asks, almost challenging. 

Ranboo shakes his head. “That’s Techno. He’s safe, I promise, just wary. Tell him who you are.”

The boy narrows his eyes, but relents. “Fine. Purpled. Ranboo let me in.”

Techno swivels to Ranboo. “Why’d y’ let some nerd inside? D’ya understand how dangerous that is?”

“He said my name in Galactic, though. He knows me.” Ranboo says, a little quiet. “I thought he’d help with, y’know.” He gestures at his head a bit.

“Ran, you weren’t involved with Hypixel. He’s lyin’ t’ ya.” Techno glares at ‘Purpled’. 

“I’m not!” Purpled screeches, standing up. “He was! Ranboo was on the leaderboards for years!”

“Nice try, kid, but I found Ranboo in the Nether when he was, like, eleven or somethin’.” The piglin hybrid huffs.

“He was eleven when he got out! I was thirteen! You act like Hypixel wasn’t above having kids in the ring. Do you even know what it is? I bet you only read about it in story books. You’d know that the entrance is in the Nether if you’d actually been.” Purpled crosses his arms.

The voices are enraged, both at Purpled’s cockiness and the fact that Techno didn’t know where Ranboo was previously from. He’s always just assumed that the kid was from the Nether. Ranboo never did speak of before that, still learning Commonspeak.

Techno raises an eyebrow and says one thing only. “My full name is Technoblade, kid. I think I know what Hypixel is.”

The usual response to that is a pale face and stuttering, at least from Techno’s past experiences. Purpled just glares harder.

“I know who you are, Blood God.” His teeth are pointy, Techno notes. “You gave the both of us some nifty scars, but I doubt you remember that.” 

The voices hush themselves. Ranboo frowns.

“I don’t think it’s very fair to be so harsh.” He mutters. Purpled stops glaring.

“Neither of us deserved that.” He says, and Techno agrees.

“Then I guess it’s good that I forgot, huh?” Ranboo says. Purpled nods carefully.

“Techno? Ranboo?” A voice calls. Phil appears at the end of the hallway, wings dragging behind him. He’s likely woken up to the noise and come out without busying himself with the harness due to worry.

“Phil!” Ranboo lights up. “Are you alright? D’you need help?” He asks. Phil shakes his head.

“No, no, I’m alright. I heard a commotion. Is everything okay out here, though?” He asks. Techno sighs.

“Everythin’ is _fine_. Ranboo let a kid in.” He gestures to Purpled, who, still standing, takes a step back.

“Hi.” At least he’s got some sort of manners. Techno thinks Purpled just has a grudge against him. He’s probably right.

Phil smiles. "Hello. My name is Phil, that's Techno, and that's—"

"Ranboo. Sorry, I know." Purpled interrupts. "I knew him before he knew you guys, apparently. I mean, aside from mister Blood God there." 

The room goes quiet.

"His name's Purpled." Ranboo breaks the awkward silence. 

"Well." Phil doesn't look quite sure of what to do with the situation, so he simply holds a hand out carefully. "It's nice to meet you, Purpled."

Techno would like to disagree, politely.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ranboo, opening the door:  
> Purpled: hey I know you.
> 
> Purpled is an Enderman hybrid as well!!!!!!!


	45. 45

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Music is a valuable thing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AAAAA SORRY I MISSED YESTERDAY'S UPDATE, TAKE THIS HAPPY ONE TO MAKE UP FOR IT!!!!!
> 
> ILY ALL SO MUCH, HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!!!!

The announcement of the election is, understandably, big news. Wilbur says that he’ll run. Tommy begs to run with him, as an early birthday present. Wilbur lets him. Tubbo isn’t sure how good of an idea that is— neither is Sam.

Still, Tubbo jogs after his friend. “What do you think it’ll be like when we’ve got someone leading us? Legitimately leading us?” He asks, ears flicking.

“It’ll be fucking awesome, that’s what!” Tommy grins. “Me and Wil are gonna be the best damn president and vice out there!”

“What does a president do, anyway? And what if someone else wins?” 

Tommy thinks for a minute, hand on his chin. “Lead and shit, I think. And we are _so_ winning, Tubbs, have some confidence!”

Tubbo laughs. “Okay, okay! I believe in you guys, trust me! Just a bunch of what-ifs, anyway. Always being prepared and shit!”

Tommy throws an arm over his brother’s shoulder. “You think too much! Lose a few brain cells, gods!” He cackles, messing up Tubbo’s hair around his horns.

Tubbo twists and headbuts Tommy, albeit lightly. He’s always done that when messing around. Phil said it probably has to do with his hybrid instincts, like how Wilbur and Fundy were sneaky and lithe. Techno had an affinity for gold, and Tommy loves the heat. 

(Tommy remembers trudging across the field to Tubbo’s house and throwing open the door)

(He’d drag his small friend to Sapnap’s room, where they’d toss themselves onto the Blaze hybrid and snore the rest of the day away)

(Tommy decides not to think about it.)

Tommy shoves Tubbo away with a snort, to which the smaller knocks his head against his shoulder again.

“Fucking goats, man.” Tommy fake-complains. Tubbo feigns an offended gasp.

“That’s— uh. What’s it called again? Speciesest!”

“Speciesist?” Tommy guesses.

“I dunno.” 

The boys lapse into a short silence before they start laughing again, making their way into the town. Tubbo drags Tommy with him to a shack that Fundy’d turned into an engineering stand. Sam has plans to expand it into a full shop if they decide to stay permanently. 

“Tubbo, my best friend, my favorite-est brother, the least annoying man in my family,” Tommy starts. “Why did you bring me to the lung obliterator building?”

Tubbo wheezes a loud laugh. “Tommy! It doesn’t obliterate your lungs, you just never wear a fucking mask when you walk in! That’s on you!” He snorts. 

“The fucking dust should know not to touch my lungs!” Tommy retorts.

“I don’t think I’d like to think about sentient redstone dust, Tommy.” Tubbo says. “Anyway, follow me!”

Tubbo drags his friend deeper into the shack, past the curtain that dictates the ‘back room’. He slaps a hand over Tommy’s eyes, earning a cure-filled squawk. He once again laughs.

“Don’t worry, don’t worry, I just need you to shut your eyes for a bit.” Tubbo pulls Tommy through the back door and behind the building a few paces.

“If you murder me in a shifty alley-way, Tubbo, I’m not forgiving you.”

“I’m not, I’m not! Jeez, have you never heard of a surprise?” 

“Surprise?” 

Tubbo pulls his hand away from Tommy’s eyes, gesturing to a box sitting on a tree stump. “Surprise!” He confirms with a shout.

Tommy stares for a second, then looks at Tubbo. “Huh?”

Tubbo makes a face. “Birthday! Surprise! You’re old now!” 

It takes a second for it to click— “Is that a birthday gift?”

“No, it’s more redstone.” Tubbo replies, monotone. He springs back to an energetic state. “Yes it’s a birthday gift! C’mon, c’mon, open it!” 

Tommy snorts. “Chill out, man, you’re going all bonkers on me! Tubbo’s gone bonkers!” He picks up the box carefully and sits on the ground. Tubbo plops down next to him.

The box is nothing special— cardboard and tape with a few silly drawings around the sides. Tommy peels the tape off as carefully as he can and pulls the flaps away. Inside the box sits something that he can’t quite describe. It’s metal, polished and clean. He pulls it out of the box as Tubbo bounces in place. 

It looks like a briefcase, Tommy thinks, with latches and a handle. He glanced up at Tubbo, who nods excitedly. Tommy unlatches the locks. He opens the case and gasps loudly.

"Holy _shit_." 

"D'you like it? Fundy, Sam, and I made sure it wouldn't break! Fundy carved runes into it and everything! The discs, too! It runs on it's own, so you don't need to worry about a power source." Tubbo rambles on and on about the protection spells Fundy's placed on the gift, the pure, condensed redstone gems ingrained in it so it doesn't lose power, and Wilbur's hard work on the music.

Tommy stares with wide eyes, glossy with tears. A record player is embedded in the case, red and white. The inside is lined with the nicest leather that Tommy's ever seen. The top half of the case has a pocket, which holds two perfectly round discs. The entire thing shimmers with enchantments and spells that remind him of his dad.

The music player is made of everything his small family has to offer, he realizes. Tubbo's mechanical knowledge, Fundy's spellwork, Wilbur's music— hell, Tommy can spot Jack's trademark leather stamp in the small corner, and he could recognize Niki's intricate designs carved into any material. 

He reads the disc titles, engraved in their centers, and that's enough to have him crying for real. They are Phil and Techno's favorite songs, individually. One disc is colored white, and the other black. It reminds him of Ranboo's split color scheme. 

Tommy closes the case and sets it to the side as gently and quickly as he can before launching off of the ground and tackling Tubbo in a hug right enough to leave the shorter boy wheezing. He hugs back with the same ferocity and lets Tommy cry behind the redstone work-shack, where no one will see him. 

Tommy wails out his thanks through fat tears and hiccuping words. Tubbo simply smiles and hugs him a little tighter.

When the sun begins to set on Tommy's last day of being fifteen, he scrubs his face dry and sends a biteless glare to Tubbo. 

"If you tell anyone I cried like a little bitch, I'll end you." He sniffs. 

Tubbo gives him a toothy grin with crinkled eyes. "You secret's safe with me, big man."

"Pinky swear?"

"Pinky swear. Happy birthday, Tommy."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it's a bit shorter than usual lol
> 
> It was gonna be the Schlatt Intro Chapter, but I couldn't find any good Schlatt-vibe songs so it turned into this instead, which is better in every aspect.


	46. 46

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I'm back, but at what cost to your collective emotions
> 
> (I am not the only one who is back)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WHAT'S UP I LIKE THIS CHAPTER IT HAS QUACKITY IN IT  
> (among other people)
> 
> MEGA GINORMOUS HUGE THANK YOU TO Potato___Child FOR HELPING ME BOUNCE AROUND IDEAS FOR THIS CHAPTER!!!!!!!!!!!!! 
> 
> TW: possession discussion, implied PTSD

Quackity is loud and excitable. That is the first thing that Tubbo notices when he meets the young man. Tubbo decides that he likes Quackity early on.

The man is a duck hybrid, and is just barely twenty years old, with large, grey-green wings and pointed ears. He hides his eyes behind an incredibly long curtain of dark hair, as well as a hat that looks far too large for his head. Most of the time, he speaks in shouts and yells. 

Quackity has lived in L’Manburg for a few months, trailing his friend, J, around. J is so different from Quackity that Tubbo thought their friendship was a joke at the beginning. J sighs and confirms that he is, in fact, in cahoots with Quackity.

J is an averagely tall ram hybrid with white hair and floppy ears. He reminds Tubbo of Niki, with his sheeps’ legs and tail. He has horns like Tubbo, but his curl around his ears unlike the blonde teen’s rod-straight goat horns. Whenever they talk, J makes sure to ruffle the boy’s hair right between them. 

J is a grumpy man who hides behind fancy suits, even though he’s only recently gotten a home. He still stays over at Quackity’s or Connor’s. Connor is rarely there, but Tubbo knows J has a key, because he’s had to fish around for it before to find the guy. 

If Tubbo remembers correctly, his older sister runs the ship that comes around every few weeks— Puffy. She’s so nice that it’s hard to see how they’re related sometimes. Tubbo supposes that J is nice enough, in his own way.

* * *

When the announcement of an election comes around, it surprises Tubbo to see Quackity step up to the plate. Quackity is mature, but he masks it with unrelenting layers of chaotic actions. It confuses Tubbo, but Quackity assures him that it’s all in good fun. 

It is less confusing that J is running. He is a businessman, where Puffy can barely stay in one place for a day. He is smart with his words and his attire. Tubbo thinks that he might be a good opposition to Wilbur.

Wilbur and Tommy run without any issue. Tubbo expects that. They are well-loved, and they founded the small city. Tubbo can’t wait to celebrate with them.

What confuses Tubbo the most, though, is when Niki declares that she will stay for one more week (only one, because she’s stayed for too long already, and she feels bad for sending a letter back to Techno, Phil, and Ranboo about how she’s only staying longer). Niki is in the running, and so is Fundy. They are kind people. Tubbo thinks he wouldn’t mind if they ended up winning.

* * *

Karl screams when Dream doesn’t immediately try to kill him for the first time in months. Sapnap’s eyes widen at the noise, and George stiffens a bit. Dream looks up quickly. That’s when Karl knows that it’s over. 

In a perfect world, he sprints over to the trio and immediately begins undoing all of the precautions that Punz had set up. In a perfect world, frantic whispers in Galactic break the magic, and quick hands break the ties and undo the locks. In a perfect world, Karl is scooping them into a tight hug.

This is not a perfect world.

Karl still wraps shaky (too thin) arms around the three and hugs them as tight as he can. It’s his own small test, seeing if they’ll take the chance, kill him again. They do not. Karl sobs. 

It worked. Trembling hands tug at the knots in the ropes and the locks on the chains. Stumbling whispers of Galactic curses break the spells placed on the bindings. Karl stands, and backs up on unsteady legs. Punz and Beast watch from the doorway, apprehensive. 

(Punz holds an axe at his side. Beast instinctively bends his knees, prepared to run in)

Karl has spent months being slaughtered at the hands of his friends, and no matter how much he loves them, he still flinches back harshly when Dream jerks forward. He is free game, now that the restraints are gone. He’s got little chance of fighting them now.

The blow that he expects never lands. Beast is in front of Karl, and Dream has already stopped advancing. He stopped as soon as he’d seen Karl’s arms rise.

“Karl…?”

(Why does he hold more scars than Dream? It isn't right. That’s not how it’s supposed to go. How many years has it been again…? His mind is fuzzy.)

Sapnap steps in with wide, quick strides and raised hands. He is stopped by Punz’s axe blade at his throat. George wisely stays back, slowly standing, unlike the other two.

“Karl?” Dream asks again, louder. Karl stares back with eyes so grey that they’re almost white.

It isn’t clicking for Dream. Why is Karl’s face more marred than his own? Why is he scared? He looks back at Sapnap, whose eyes are filled with an uncomfortable amount of regret.

It rushes back to him, everything he’s done. 

(His sons, his boys, his little boys, oh gods— his friends— the kids— _oh gods, Karl_ —)

Eret jogs in from their underground farm, hoe tight in their hands, as if prepared to defend. 

Punz drills them for thirty minutes each, question after question, none are the same. Karl sits, curled in the corner. Beast sits in front of him, blocking Dream, George, and Sapnap from seeing him completely. 

(At some point during the questioning, Beast has Eret go find something. They come back with a brightly painted mask, boxy and so Karl that it hurts)

(George can't see Karl clearly, but he can tell that he's put it on. It hurts that he feels the need to hide from them, but George's foggy memories tell him it is well deserved) 

Eret speaks up, hesitantly. “Punz.” They say.

Punz pauses his questioning of Dream and turns to the young adult. “Hm?”

“It’s— It’s over.” They step forward, ear flicking.

“What d’you mean?”

“The thing. Demon, whatever we’re calling it— It’s gone. It’s gone.” Eret smiles. Punz backs away from Dream. Eret has not smiled in a long time.

Beast stands, still keeping Karl out of sight. “How do we know?”

Sapnap raises a hand tentatively. Beast shoots a glare toward the Blaze hybrid, but nods a moment later.

“I can’t speak for Dream or George, ‘cos they’re humans, but the… demon, right? The demon. It controls a few people at a time, three, maybe four. It originally tried to get Bad, too, if I remember right. Bad’s already half demon, so it didn’t work. Went after Skeppy, but Ores are hard to get to, I guess.” Sapnap starts.

“It found Eret eventually. I’m not sure how. I remember it letting me go a little bit. It didn’t really care how much control it had over my consciousness. I think it was rooting on me giving into instincts, probably. It got weaker when it got control over them, and then it got… worse. I kept getting these moments of clarity, like I could see what I was doing, and if I tried hard enough, I could break away for a few seconds at a time. Karl was there, once.”

“What is that supposed to mean?” Punz asks.

“I think it gave up on us.” Sapnap replies honestly. “It got bored and restless. I think it’s gone for someone else.”

* * *

Wilbur grins as he makes his way up to the podium, tallies in hand. 

Fundy ducks his head sheepishly as his brother makes fun of him for slipping more ballots to his and Niki’s side. They laugh it off. Nine percent. 

J nods carefully when Wilbur reads out his percentages. Sixteen percent.

Quackity whoops at the amount he’s gotten— not enough to win on his own, of course, but pretty damned good for someone as young as him. Thirty percent.

The crowd shrieks with joy when they hear that Wilbur and Tommy have won. Wilbur’s smile gets tighter. Forty-five percent.

“However,” He says, “Two nights ago, during the voting time, Mr. Quackity made a deal with Mr. J Schlatt. Quackity stated as follows: ‘no matter what happens, I will be pooling my votes with Schlatt’s’.”

Tommy’s grin drops.

“The Soot running got forty-five percent of the popular vote,” WIlbur repeats, “meaning that the coalition of the Schlatt and the Quackity runnings won forty- _six_ percent of the vote.”

Quackity cheers loudly.

J Schlatt smiles.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> :)


	47. 47

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> / the real chapter
> 
> A mask, a story

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What's up, it's ya boy,,,, Jarl Kacobs
> 
> I already closed the doc so I'm not going back to check what was italicized and what wasn't, we die like Jack Manifold
> 
> TW: reliving events, partial memory loss, memory loss, vague depiction of injury, emotions

Karl has never seen himself as a particularly insecure individual, but the mask that Beast hands him makes him feel safer anyway. He’s suddenly aware of just how honked up his face is, and how much he doesn’t want his friends to see it.

(He is more scar than flesh at this point, at least from the elbows up)

(At least the demon had the decency to make his deaths quick, most of the time)

His mask isn’t like Dream’s. It isn’t a neat little oval, it isn’t made of pale quartz, it doesn’t have a scribbly little smile on it, and it doesn’t strap around his head. It is a small cardboard box with a rectangle cut out of the side and the flaps cut off.

The side with the rectangle cut out is a blindingly bright purple shade (he thinks— it could be blue) and it has two black squares above the rectangle. It looks like a face, he thinks. It isn’t smiling, but it isn’t frowning either. It’s mouth is level to Karl’s eyes when he pulls it over his head, and he realizes that it is the eyehole. 

He thinks the left side is orange, and the right is yellow (or green). The back is blue (or purple). The top is green (or yellow). It matches his hoodie, folded up in his bed in a different part of the cave. It fits his head perfectly, and Karl finds himself understanding why Dream hides so much. 

Punz continues to grill Eret and Sapnap about the possession, and Karl realizes something.

He hasn't done squat. He's kept his friends locked up, sure, but ultimately he did nothing to rid the demon apart from boring it into escaping. The real kicker is that the demon isn't even in Rutabagaville anymore, if he's hearing right.

"—then who  _ could _ it go after, huh? Who else did you touch?" Punz huffs. 

Eret thinks for a long moment. They tap at their hooved nails. "I remember going down to a room, brushed against Wil and the others a few times. You were there, Punz, that was the last time it had me under full control."

Punz freezes for a second. "In the room?"

"Yeah. The room. The, uh, the one where… yeah." Eret's voice quiets substantially. 

"What happened? What room?" George speaks up. Karl pities the human, because he doesn't remember. 

Sapnap's expression is agonized. "Georgie, we… we fucked up big time."

Dream nods hesitantly. Karl supposes that he remembers bits and pieces. Sapnap remembers it clearly, Karl knows. Eret knows what they've done from stories and bits of memory.

"What do you mean? We— how did we even get here? How'd Karl get here? Where even  _ are _ we?" George asks, frustrated. "Where are Bad and Skeppy?"

"L'Manburg." Karl says carefully. Eyes spin to face him, and he pulls a smile on even though they can't see it.

"What the fuck is 'L'Manburg'?" George's face scrunches up in confusion. Genuine confusion. 

Punz turns to him. "Here's the basics: you got possessed about two, two and a half years ago—"

"Punz—" Karl reaches for the guy, but he continues anyway.

"— your burnt your field to ashes, and a good chunk of the forest, too—"

"Punz, stop—"

"— you chased those kids down, killed them gods know how many times—"

"Shut up—"

"— hired me a year in, infected Eret—"

Beast grabs Punz's shoulder, "Hey, zip it—"

"— Eret set up a room, led Wilbur, Tubbo, Tommy, and Fundy in—"

Sapnap buries his head in his hands, hiding sobs.

"Punz—!" Karl tries again.

"— we stormed it after given a signal, and slaughtered them in December." Punz says in one breath. 

George looks shell-shocked. Dream's face is covered and Karl can't see what he feels. 

The room is silent for exactly one second before Beast is pulling Punz back. 

"What the hell? They just got back, you can't throw that on them!" He hisses.

Punz shrugs the hand off. "He wanted to know," He looks back at George, "L'Manburg is what they made in order to escape you all."

George sits back down hard. Sapnap slides down next to him. Dream, though weak in posture, straightens as much as possible.

"What— what about Phil? Techno? Ranboo? Niki?" He tentatively asks.

Punz stares for a moment. "Sorry," He says. "I only recognize the name Niki. She comes around to visit Eret sometimes."

George's back hits the wall. "What happened to the others…?" He whispers.

Punz turns to Eret, who has to be the only one in the room who really knows. Karl wasn't there, Punz and Beast sure weren't, and the other three don't remember it clearly. Eret, tense, lowers themself to the ground. 

"They're alive." They say stiffly. 

"What happened to them?" George asks, a little louder. Eret curls in on themself a little. Beast sends a look toward Karl.

"Hey, let's go grab your hoodie. It's cold." Is all he says before dragging his friend out of the room. 

When Eret is sure that both are out of earshot, they continue. 

"They're gone. Not— not dead, but gone. We… got separated when you first… attacked." They fiddle with the root of their broken horn. 

"Um… Phil sent Niki and Techno one way. He followed them, but— but you all saw them. I was down for the count when that was happening, but Fundy told me that— that Phil'd used his wings like a shield for them." Eret explains. Then, quieter, "Niki says he can't move them anymore. Can't fly, can't feel them."

George covers his mouth. Dream inhales sharply. Sapnap wipes his face off roughly and looks up.

"Why aren't you talking about Ranboo?" He asks. Eret looks away.

"Eret, what happened to him?" George pries, lowering his hands. Punz is confused as well. No one's said a word about any 'Ranboo' since he's been here, aside from when that Tubbo kid snapped (excluding now). He'd assume the boy to be long dead, if Eret hadn't said that all four people were alive.

"Dream happened." 

Silence rings out until Dream finally sits down. It's like the strings of a puppet have gotten cut. He says forward slightly, and his hands are shaking.

"Eret— Eret what do you mean?" He asks. He's probably trying to keep a level voice, but even Punz hears the waver. "What happened to my son?"

Eret winces. They duck their head down. They don't want to look anyone in the eyes, not when they're reliving the horror they watched. The last time they saw the boy they considered their baby brother.

(They would've been dead without him. Niki and Eret had been trapped in their house— they'd've been sent right to spawn if Ranboo wasn't able to teleport)

"He— he was helping us. Saved me and Niki from the fires, Tubbo, too. I was too far away to see it clearly, but Dream— you were swinging at whatever moved, if it wasn't Sapnap or George. 

"Tubbo and I were— were trying to dodge George. Niki screamed, and we both looked over and-and we saw you— not you, th-the demon, but it looked like you— we saw it make you— make you swing at Ranboo."

"Gods, no—" Dream chokes on a gasp. He hits his chest a few times. Eret continues.

"He went down, and— and Niki was dragging him away with her. They were running, but it… caught up. Techno was trying to fight it, but it got to Ran again. He… you've seen Ranboo, he's like a twig, he just— he went down so fast." 

Eret whispers the last part. They can still clearly remember watching Ranboo collapse like he'd died. It's a horrifying thing to watch, Eret thinks.

"It used you to hit him hard." They force out. "Your axe handle— it— he just went down so fast." They repeat.

"Eret…" Dream reaches a hand out again. Eret flinches, which hurts, but they let him set his hand on their shoulder. 

"It scared me. It still does." Eret admits shakily. Their eyes are long past welling up with tears, water already dribbling down their face. 

"He hit the stone on the pit. Dream— Dream I could hear it over the fire. Tech— he got Niki and Ranboo out, and Phil— Phil led them to the docks. They got away, but—"

"But you're not gonna be able to forget that." Punz speaks up. He really feels like he shouldn't be here for the emotional conversation, but he supposes he needs to be. He's been in the dark for too long.

Eret nods in agreement. Dream pulls them into a hug, which George and Sapnap join when they're sure Eret won't freak out about it.

(Eret understands not being in control. They're still horribly afraid of the trio, but they understand. And they really need a hug, so they aren't going to argue)

"He doesn't remember anyone." They mumble. 

Punz blinks. His friend is a doctor who'd come in on the same ship as Niki, he remembers. The story is beginning to line up. He slips before he can stop it.

"The kid that keeps forgetting his family, and the dude that can't fly anymore."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> How're we feeling lads
> 
> Go reread Eret and Punz telling the Dream Team what they did, but listen to "It's All So Incredibly Loud" by Glass Animals while reading
> 
> It hurts
> 
> Also everyone keeps forgetting that Karl is colorblind—


	48. 48

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An old face leaves, a new face appears.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HI SORRY ABOUT THAT LONG ASS BREAK
> 
> I KNOW IT WAS ONLY A WEEK BUT STILL—  
> I HAVE AN OUTLINE NOW SO THE CHAPTERS SHOULD COME BACK FASTER!
> 
> CW: brief discussion of fighting rings, implied past violence

Purpled isn’t meant to stay. He tells Ranboo about Hypixel because Techno won’t, and then he leaves two days later without saying why. Ranboo keeps flipping back through the pages, looking and reading and wondering. 

(Purpled writes everything he says down in Ranboo’s memory book, and Ranboo spends sleepless nights reading about flying islands and battles and bridges.)

* * *

A week after Purpled leaves, Puffy’s ship docks for what she announces is the last time. 

“What d’you mean by that, mate?” Phil asks as he stirs a pot of hot cocoa.

Puffy sighs from her spot on the couch. “My brother is in L’Manburg— that’s where Niki and Purpled went off to. That’s why I pass through here so often, since it’s on the way. Might as well add it to the route, right?” 

Techno hums in agreement, sitting on a separate couch and sharpening an old axe. It is brittle, and probably needs replacing soon. Ranboo sits on the floor in front of Puffy’s couch, writing and listening.

“He was doing all fine and dandy, but then they held this whole election thing. I have a kid in there that gives me updates on my brother, ‘cause he stowed away and totally owes me that much. Anyway, when I dropped Purpled off, my kid told me about my brother.” 

Phil takes the pot off of the heat and begins ladleing the hot beverage into mugs. He passes them around and waves for Puffy to continue as he sits next to Techno.

“Apparently he’s going bonkers, banned two guys and started taxing Niki way too much.I’m worried about them all, but I don’t think anything good is gonna happen if I’m there. I don’t want to be around him, so I’m cutting this region out of my route.” Puffy says, sipping at her cocoa. 

“Wait, what?” Phil leans forward a little, “Are you sure?”

Puffy nods. “I know it’s a bit much to ditch an entire region because of one person, but I know my brother. If he can help it, he’ll have control over much more than just L’Manburg. He’s always been like that— a power hungry little brat. I want to get out as fast as I can.”

“Then why’d you stop here?” Techno asks.

“You’re good people. You deserve a warning before it all goes to shit.” The captain shrugs. “I’m stopping at as many places as I can, trust me, but you’re all dead center here. I gotta limit my warnings and hope they get through by word of mouth.”

“And your kid?”

Puffy stops at that. She sips at her drink quietly. 

“He’s smart. Wolves have teeth, he knows how to use ‘em.”

“Puffy, please, did you warn him?”

Silence.

“I ran. Okay? As soon as he said it, I ran. I couldn’t risk staying longer.”

Phil sets his mug down and quietly gets up. He walks over to Puffy, sits next to her, and gives her a side hug.

“I’m sorry you had to experience that.” He says. Puffy snorts, but it’s a forced thing.

“You sound like you’ve done the same thing.”

The blonde smiles sadly. Techno returns to his axe. Ranboo stops writing.

“Unfortunately, you’re right.”

Puffy’s face falls, and she quickly sets her own mug down and turns to hug Phil tightly.

“I am so, so sorry.” She says.

“We do what we must to protect who we can. It isn’t your fault.” 

(Puffy does not say that it feels like it— Phil understands her silence anyway)

When the silence runs too long, Ranboo speaks up.

“Did Purpled get back safe?” He asks. Even though his voice is soft, it snaps Puffy to attention, cutting through the quiet easily.

“Purpled— right, right, Purpled. He made it safely. He was looking for his dad, I don’t know if he told y’all that. Turns out his dad found a job right near the port. I swear I’ve never seen such a scary looking man bawl like that.”

* * *

That night Ranboo stares at the ceiling of his room, deep in thought for what has to be the nth time in a row. He briefly wonders if Phil is annoyed by his sleeping in so often.

He leans over and picks up his journal. Laying on his side, Ranboo leafs through pages and pages of memories that he’s forgotten. The last few days are fuzzy, but he hasn’t had a hard reset since his panic weeks ago.

He reads about Hypixel for a long while. Purpled had written in Galactic. He said it would keep the secret better, just in case anyone ever got ahold of Ranboo’s book. Ranoo won’t ever let anyone near the book, but he trusts Purpled’s judgement.

He reads about the rings, the games, and the bloodshed. He reads about the healers, the champions, the fighters. Fighters wore red necklaces, healers blue, and the champions green. Loosely, Ranboo touches his neck. The stories line up with why he doesn’t particularly like tight-necked clothing.

He reads about the Ghast hybrids used for their tears and charges. He wonders if that’s why it’s so hard to find them— maybe they were in hiding (or maybe they were captured). Ranboo hasn’t been looking, of course, but he thinks it would be nice to learn more about his other half.

By the time the sun has risen, Ranboo’s read through the entire journal, cover to cover. Maybe he’ll start writing in Galactic, like Purpled, in case he forgets Common again one day.

(He hopes he won’t. Learning how to speak and read again is a horribly long process, he’s told)

* * *

Three more weeks pass before they hear anything from anybody. 

Of course, the first time the new ship sails into port, the captain comes right to Phil’s door in a rush. The poor guy looks winded, but otherwise fine. When Phil opens the door, the new captain adjusts red-rimmed sunglasses and holds a crumpled letter out to him.

“I was told to give this to someone named Technoblade. The kid said it was life-or-death.”

Techno reaches around Phil and snatches the letter from the sailor’s hand. It takes him all of three seconds to read the chicken scratch that is Tommy’s handwriting.

“Phil, pack, now, we need to go.” He looks up at the captain. “You. Name.”

“Sparklez.”

“Don’t leave this port without us, Sparkler, or I swear to the gods it’ll be your last journey.” 

“Aye aye.”

Maybe Ranboo should stop sleeping in.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> How are y'all feeling about that new chapter limit :)   
> We're nearing the end, laddies :')
> 
> Also! Sparklez is going to be a minor character, sorry!!! He won't have a lot of involvement, since he's just taking over Puffy's route, and Puffy's role can't exactly be replaced ;) 
> 
> (She comes back, don't worry!)


	49. 49

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The beginning of the end, as told by anger and fear.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello :)
> 
> TW: implied abuse, exile, brief depiction of violence, non-descriptive unlawful imprisonment, possession, swearing (because Tommy)

Tommy is barely sixteen years old when his home is ripped away from him again. 

The new president, J. Schlatt, uses his first decree to exile Tommy and Wilbur and have them chased out. It sounds simple enough, Tommy thinks. It sounds so much less than it really ends up being.

Tubbo is still on the podium when it happens, because he’s meant to act as the secretary of state. Tommy doesn’t know what the fuck that means, but Tubbo has to stand up there anyway as a neutral party. He holds the vote box, so he has to stay on stage.

Quackity, Big Q, stands right next to Tubbo, like he knows something that Tommy doesn’t. 

(If Tommy knew what was going to happen, he would’ve dragged Tubbo down to the audience with him)

Schlatt goes on a spiel that Tommy doesn’t quite remember. Seconds later, the ram jabs a finger at Wilbur and Tommy and screams for their heads. 

Tubbo drops the vote box as the crowd turns to Tommy and Wilbur. Already, the measly guardsmen that Tommy himself had approved of are shoving their way through the crowds toad them. Tubbo stutters and scrambles, but when he goes to run down, Quackity wraps two arms around him and _squeezes_.

Tubbo is being held back, Tommy realizes. 

“You can’t do this!” 

Sam is screaming, Tommy realizes.

“Wil! Tommy!”

Fundy is too far away, Tommy realizes.

“You fucking monster!”

Niki is cursing J Schlatt out, Tommy realizes.

But no matter how bulky and strong Sam is, the crowd is too thick, and there are too many guards holding him back. No matter how fast Fundy runs, he can’t weave through the people quick enough. Niki is being dragged away by the hair, and she does not stop swearing or thrashing.

(And even though Sam knows it’ll buy them time and possibly even save them, he can’t make himself blow up— not after Purpled)

(And Fundy can’t see Tommy or Wilbur, but he can hear them screaming— he can’t let his brothers get taken away again)

(And Niki’s head hurts so badly, but she won’t stop shrieking profanities that Bad would faint at— she won’t stop kicking and screaming for her brothers— she wonders if Eret can hear her this far out)

Tommy vaults over chairs and shoulders past the people of L’Manburg. Wilbur grabs him by the wrist and _pulls_. He trusts his oldest brother to lead him to safety, so he lets himself be dragged this way and that.

The blood is rushing in his ears, but somewhere he can still hear Tubbo yelling. He can’t risk turning around, and that honestly hurts him even more. He promised he wouldn’t leave his brother alone (his little brother, no matter what anyone said) but Tommy can’t stop running. He can’t stop, or he might die— Wil might die.

Wilbur gets shot, somewhere along the way, but neither of them stop running. 

(Later on, when they’ve made camp and a flimsy bed, he dies, and Tommy is alone for a day and a half)

* * *

Tommy rubs at scraped knees and bruised calves. His hands are bandaged with shirt scraps. He doesn’t really like the new short sleeves— he’s always preferred long sleeves— but he foregoes comfort for need. His hands are blistered from weeks of mining out rooms and stairs in the ravine that he and Wilbur have hidden in.

Wilbur acts differently, a little more closed off, a little more snappy. Tommy doesn’t blame him for it, though. They’ve just been exiled from the only true home they’ve ever known, and separated from the last of their brothers. 

(Tommy wonders what happened to Niki, to Tubbo, to Fundy. He tries not to remember their screaming)

They don’t talk much, but Tommy tells himself that it’s because they can’t risk the echo. They can’t risk someone finding them through noise. 

Wilbur stops sleeping regularly. He becomes paranoid. Tommy catches him muttering to himself time and time again, but he doesn’t say anything. He treasures the times that Wilbur does sleep. Tommy curls up either on the mattress or on the floor next to the mattress when this happens.

Most times, he falls asleep with his brother, but there are times where he simply lays in the dark and tries to remind himself that he isn’t alone. Wilbur’s breathing is shallow and his face is always pinched tight in discomfort, but he hasn’t left. 

Tommy wonders if this is how Tubbo felt about Eret before their betrayal. Before they dropped off of the face of the realm.

* * *

Tommy can’t stop Wilbur’s obsession with wanting to know all that is going on. It isn’t like Tommy isn’t curious as well, after all.

He sneaks to L’Manburg with his oldest brother on countless occasions. They hide in the shadows, behind rooftops, in trees, everywhere. It takes one week for them to find out that Niki and Sam are in prison for standing against Schlatt publicly. They learn that Sam’s son has taken a job as a guard. He’s training, but Tommy knows he’ll make it quickly if Sam's stories are true.

Tommy thinks he probably wouldn’t be that level-headed if Phil ended up in the jails. He wouldn’t take the time to come up with such a plan. At least, that’s what Tommy thinks this is. For all he knows, Purpled is vengeful about the whole explosion incident and just wants to watch Sam be in jail. Tommy hopes that he’s planning a jailbreak, though. It’d be so much cooler.

It takes two weeks for Tubbo to start positioning his hair to cover his eyes. Tommy knows his brother well, and Tubbo’s always complained about having longer hair. It takes him five seconds of seeing Tubbo around Schlatt for it to click, and the only thing that keeps an arrow out of the president’s skull is Wilbur’s carefully placed arm.

On the third week, Tommy finally meets up with Tubbo. Tubbo stands stiffer than Tommy thinks he’s ever seen the boy stand. His back is almost as straight as his horns. It isn’t right.

“Tubbo?” It is a whisper on Tommy’s part— both habit and caution combined. He’s in the bushes and he doesn’t want to get caught, but three weeks is far too long to be Tubbo-less. Wilbur lightly smacks his shoulder for giving their spot away.

He hates the way the smaller blonde jolts at the sound of his name. Tubbo spins around, looking for whoever called him. He faces the bush, and Tommy assumes his eyes land on him, because his tiny shoulders go stiff and he looks around even more frantically. He approaches when he’s sure no one is watching.

“What are you doing here?” Tubbo mutters as he slips behind the shrubbery. 

“Spying, duh! Why’re you all fancy-looking? Nevermind, don’t answer that. Are you okay? I’m gonna kill that bastard, I promise. Swear it on my own life. Him and Q both, even! What’s going on in there? You need to come back with us. It’s way safer.” Tommy speaks a hundred miles per minute, and Tubbo doesn’t even interrupt.

(Tubbo always interrupts. Up until the election, he’d finish Tommy’s sentences and chime in every five seconds)

“Tubbo?”

Tubbo nods. “Here,” He says automatically, before shaking his head. “Wait, no, sorry, messed up there. Um, Schlatt has us wear the suits because they’re more prof-profe— pruh-fesh-ian-ul,”

“Professional,” Wilbur says.

“Right, sorry,” Tubbo nods. “Professional. I’m not allowed to tell anyone about government stuff.” He answers two of Tommy’s questions.

“You didn’t answer if you were okay, Tubs.” 

Tubbo makes a noise of thought. It’s something between a long ‘uh’ and a higher hum. “I’d say I’m fine, yes.”

“Bull.” Tommy leans on a tree with his arms crossed. Wilbur nods from where he’s squatting on the ground.

“No, I’m fine.” Tubbo replies. 

“Then why’s your hair covering your eyes ‘nd shit?” 

“It’s bright outside.”

“It’s cloudy. You don’t like it when your hair gets in your face. Why are you standing so straight? Taped a fucking rod to your spine?”

“Schlatt likes when we stand up straighter.”

“Schlatt’s a bitch.”

Tommy expects a snort, at the very least, from Tubbo. He does not get it.

“Not gonna laugh? It was funny.”

“We’re not allowed to laugh at Schlatt.”

“Schlatt’s not here.”

“He could be.”

“Why are you covering your eyes, Tubbo?”

“Why do you care?”

Tubbo slaps a hand over his mouth less than a second after the harmless question leaves it.

“I’m sorry.” 

Wilbur stands, “Why are you sorry?” He asks. Tommy really hopes that he missed the sympathy in his brother’s voice, because he could swear that Wilbur lacks it.

Tubbo cowers. “I— because I talked back.” 

“Why is talking back bad, Tubbo?” Wilbur looms over the teen, who seems to shrink in on himself.

“Because— because— I’m not allowed to. I’m sorry. I’m sorry. I promise it won’t happen again. I’m sorry.” 

“Woah, woah, hey! Wilbur, what the fuck?” Tommy hurriedly steps between his brothers. “Leave him the hell alone, you fucking— wanker. You’re a wanker. Fuckass.” 

Tubbo doesn’t laugh. Wilbur does. For a moment, Tommy lets himself believe that his big brother is laughing, and not the stranger in front of him.

“Sorry, sorry, it’s just been forever since you’ve called me ‘wanker’, Toms.” Wilbur says. He slouches a bit, falling into a much less intimidating stance. He looks over Tommy’s shoulder. “Tubbo?” He asks softly.

Tubbo snaps back to a rod-right stance. “Yes?”

“I’m sorry I scared you, kiddo.” Wilbur’s voice is kept gentle. “Are you okay?”

“Yes.”

Tommy turns around. “You’re sure?”

Tubbo doesn’t answer. He fiddles with his hands.

“Tubbo, can we see your face?” Wilbur asks.

The goat boy mumbles under his breath.

“Huh?” Tommy asks.

“I don’t want you to get mad.” Tubbo says, a little louder.

“We won’t be mad at you, I promise.” Wilbur says carefully. 

A few beats of silence pass, but Tubbo eventually raises a shaky hand to brush his hair out of his face. The action reminds Tommy of when they were younger, and Tubbo would wipe his hair away and noisily complain about it. 

The difference this time is that they aren’t ten anymore, and they aren’t laughing anymore, and Tubbo’s nose is crooked. 

* * *

Wilbur convinces Tubbo to spy. Tommy curses the whole way back to their ravine. He’s so close to having his brother back, and he has to send him right back to whoever snapped his nose.

(Tubbo won’t tell them who did it. He says it was an accident and he’d fallen. Tommy doesn’t believe him for a second)

Schlatt announces a festival a day later, and Tommy has no good feelings about it. He schedules it for the sixteenth of the next month.

Wilbur dives deeper into his mumblings and mutterings and paranoia.

(Something tells Tommy that it isn’t his brother— instinct. He smells wrong, and not in the grubby-caveman-ravine-exile way. He smells red, when he usually smells yellow)

(Red is Tommy’s color. Red is Bad’s color. Red is what Eret smelled like, Tommy realizes too late. Red is what Dream and George and Sapnap smelled like, but Tommy was too young to know what that meant.)

Tommy waits for the next time that Wilbur sleeps before he digs through chests. He finds one bit of paper (read: rips it out of an old book) and sets to writing his message.

* * *

In the late hours of the night, Tommy sneaks out of the ravine and runs for L’Manburg. He skids down the docks at alarming speeds. Briefly, he thinks about hopping on a boat and getting the fuck out of dodge, but he brushes the thought away as soon as it enters his mind.

It is too dark for him to tell that the ship isn’t Puffy’s. He doesn’t realize until he runs into the captain, who is climbing out of the boat for gods-know-what this late.

Stupidly, the first thing Tommy says is, “You’re not Puffy.”

The man laughs. “You’re right! I took over her route while she’s gone. The name’s Sparklez, I’m the captain of this sh—”

Tommy cuts him off by shoving the paper in his face. “No time. You took Puffy’s route? Take this to the snowy place. It’s all cold and miserable and shit. Give this to Technoblade. Or Phil. Either works. You make sure it gets into their hands with your own fucking eyes, got it? Life-or-death here, bud.”

The captain falters, but takes the paper anyway. He probably isn’t used to being threatened by kids half his age, Tommy guesses.

(And then removes the ‘kids’ part, because Tommy’s been through too much to be called a fucking child anymore)

“How quick?” The captain asks.

“Right fucking now.”

So the captain warily salutes and backs onto his ship, forgetting whatever he’d left it for in the first place.

Tommy is back in the ravine before Wilbur wakes up, and before the captain has fully left the dock.

This time, as Tommy curls up next to his big brother, he prays to the gods that Techno and Phil can get here soon enough.

(Tubbo does not sleep that night)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's startiiiiing


	50. 50

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The beginning of the end, as told by unrest, fear, and resistance

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi!!! I'm thinking of setting this story to a weekly update schedule at the very least!!! 
> 
> The goal is Mondays, because Mondays suck, so maybe this will make them a little better :D
> 
> TW: implied abuse, injury

Tubbo is sixteen years old when his family is finally and fully ripped away from him. 

(And he tries to tell himself that Fundy and Niki are still there, but Niki is in jail with Sam, and Fundy disappears a week into the presidency)

When he hears those dreaded words drip out of J. Schlatt's mouth, Tubbo drops the ballot box. His first instinct is to follow Tommy and Wilbur. He tries to run after them, but lanky arms snake around his waist and hold him tightly in place.

Tubbo kicks and screams as he tries to escape. He tries to get to his brothers, but the crowd and the guards are chasing them. He hears arrows fire, he hears Niki curse, he hears Fundy and Sam scream. He feels his sides turn purple and yellow from how tight Quackity is holding him and how hard he's struggling to escape.

(Briefly, Tubbo tells himself that Techno would be disappointed in him, should he have seen his weak attempt at escape. He was taught better than this. He just wants his brothers back)

The last time that Tubbo gets to see Wilbur and Tommy for almost a full month is when he watches Wilbur fall and Tommy drag him around a corner.

Niki is harshly pulled away by the hair, kicking and screaming. Tubbo is helpless to stop it from happening. He yells until his voice gives out. 

Sam is overrun by five guards, and a sixth finally topples him over. Tubbo used to think him unstoppable, unmovable. He watches Sam fall, and he watches Sam fight, and he watches Sam get dragged off with Niki.

Tubbo thrashes around wildly, twisting and turning in an attempt at escaping the young man he previously thought of as a friend. He screams and kicks and imitates Niki to the best of his abilities. He throws his head back and hears Quackity yelp. He can feel the older boy twist to avoid Tubbo’s horns from hitting him in the face.

Tubbo ducks his head down seconds later, choosing instead to find one of Quackity’s hands and bite down until the taste of iron fills his mouth.

Quackity, in turn, shrieks and yanks his hand away. “You fucking bit me!” He squawks. 

Tubbo wrenches out of Quackity’s hold and turns to run. He makes it one step before Schlatt is in front of him. When he tries to dodge around the man, his arm is pulled into a vice-like grip and he’s yanked backwards with enough force that he feels his shoulder pop.

When he cries out, Schlatt shakes his head. “You can’t bite people, kid.”

It’s the last thing Tubbo hears before a fist swings at his face and it all goes dark.

* * *

Within the first week, Tubbo has conditioned himself to stop caring. It's the easiest thing to do in his situation— it is what he did in the war. If he stops caring, he reasons, then it won't matter if he gets hurt or not.

He doesn't trust Quackity much anymore, not after the stunt he pulled at the election. Tubbo gives him as wide a berth as he can when walking near him.

(He doesn't miss the pained look Quackity sends him, but he does ignore it)

Tubbo follows Schlatt's orders robotically. Stand straight. Brush your hair. Cover any nicks in your horns. Cover your ugly scars with a fine-pressed suit. Do not wrinkle your suit. Keep up. 

(Tubbo got those scars from fighting for L'Manburg, and he is not ashamed of them)

Schlatt changes L'Manburg into Manberg, and a seventh rule makes the list— do not breathe a word of L'Manburg.

Tubbo thinks it funny at first. He has seven siblings. There are seven rules. 

(He misses them all so much that it hurts, and it is the only thing he lets himself feel. 

The rules far surpass just seven quickly enough, anyway)

* * *

Schlatt and Quackity talk to Tubbo daily, to his internal disdain. He's sure Quackity isn't that bad a person. He spent months with him, after all. He wants to forgive him, even if just by a little, but it's hard. 

He doesn't get much interaction outside of those two for the first week and a half. 

Then, Jack is leading Sam's kid to Tubbo. He's forgotten the boy's name already.

"Tubbo! Hey! Tubbothy! This is Purpled, yeah? He's looking for a job, see, so I told him we probably have some guard spots!" Jack rattles on and on while Purpled shifts from foot to foot, bored.

Tubbo finds the appropriate paperwork and hands it over with little discussion. Purpled leaves moments later, but Jack hangs back for a split second longer.

"Hang in there." He says quietly, and then he is gone.

(Tubbo convinces himself he is just hearing things)

* * *

The second week comes to a painful end.

Tubbo steps out of line one too many times and lands himself with a snapped nose. He’s told that if anyone asks that he should say he fell. He is also told that no one should get the opportunity to ask, and so Tubbo spends three or four hours coming up with ways to hide the purple skin and the crooked bone.

He doesn’t have to work too hard at hiding his pain, though, and he counts that as a plus. He is good at hiding pain from enemies, so it should be no different with allies (not that he currently has any). 

Tubbo has always hated having long hair, and even between all of the fighting, he would find ways to cut it short. Today he is glad he has it. It takes very little effort to brush and position his hair in front of his eyes and nose. It is long enough to touch the tip of his nose, and it can reach his lips if he leans just right.

Schlatt grins the next time he sees Tubbo, and Tubbo assumes he’s done well in hiding his injury. He can barely feel it now, anyway. He’s too tired to focus on it much, as he’s been bogged down with paperwork and tiny font that makes reading even more difficult than it was before.

Sometimes when he walks around the town he feels like he’s being watched. He stands a little taller and folds his hands neatly behind his back.

The third week comes with a horribly relieving feeling. He feels like he’s being watched again, but this time a conversation comes with it.

“Tubbo?” 

He could cry from the feeling that whisper gives him, but instead he jumps with fear. Tubbo looks around, though, because he could just be imagining it. He doesn’t want to follow the voice only to be disappointed, so it’s worth it to check.

His eyes land on a bush, and his shoulders stiffen. He can see Tommy’s eyes, and Wilbur too, if he squints (but he doesn’t, because squinting hurts his head even a week after the break). Tubbo spins around again, looking back and forth quickly. He is alone.

He jogs toward the bushes and ducks into them with an almost scared whisper, “What are you doing here?”

“Spying, duh!” It is such a Tommy answer. “Why’re you all fancy-looking? Nevermind, don’t answer that. Are you okay? I’m gonna kill that bastard, I promise. Swear it on my own life. Him and Q both, even! What’s going on in there? You need to come back with us. It’s way safer.”

Tubbo relaxes into the rambling. He does not interrupt, though, because interrupting is a dangerous action— he’s learned that much within twenty-one days. 

“Tubbo?” Tommy asks carefully, and only then does Tubbo realize that he’s stopped speaking.

“Here,” He replies mechanically, before remembering that these are his brothers, not Schlatt. “Wait, no, sorry, messed up there. Um, Schlatt has us wear the suits because they’re more prof-perf— pruf-fesh-ian-ol—”

“Professional.” Wilbur says. Tubbo ducks his head low with a nod.

“Right, sorry, professional. I’m not allowed to tell anyone about government stuff.” Tubbo answers Tommy’s questions in order, and hopes that he does not notice the lack of a third response.

Tommy notices. “You didn’t answer if you were okay, Tubs.” He says, and Tubbo can tell that Tommy is wary of the answer.

Tubbo stalls with a high-pitched ‘um’ as he thinks of an answer. Is he okay? He isn’t quite sure, really. His head hurts, and he’s tired, and he can’t remember the last time he has a long enough break to get something to eat. He hasn’t cried since Tommy and Wilbur’s exile, though. 

“I’d say I’m fine, yes.” He decides.

“Bull.” Tommy calls him out with crossed arms, leaning on a tree. Wilbur nods from his spot on the ground. Curse their perception.

“No, I’m fine.” Tubbo says.

“Then why’s your hair covering your eyes ‘nd shit?” 

“It’s bright outside.”

“It’s cloudy.” Fuck. “You don’t like it when your hair gets in your face. And why are you standing so straight? Have you taped a fucking rod to your spine?” 

Tubbo deflects. “Schlatt likes when we stand up straighter.”

“Schlatt’s a bitch.” Tommy tilts his head. Tubbo doesn’t reply. “Not gonna laugh? It was funny.” Tommy raises an eyebrow.

“We’re not allowed to laugh at Schlatt.” Another lesson learned quickly and harshly.

“Schlatt’s not here.”

“He could be.” Eyes, everywhere.

“Why are you covering your eyes, Tubbo?”

“Why do you care?” He snaps. Less than a second later, he slaps a hand over his mouth and apologizes. “I’m so sorry.”

Wilbur stands up, taller than even Tommy, and intimidating when he looks down at Tubbo. “Why are you sorry?”

Tubbo cowers. Explaining himself is always the worst part, because he knows it is just stalling until the punishment. “I— because I talked back.”

“Why is talking back bad, Tubbo?” Wilbur looms. Tubbo does his best to look as small as possible.

“Because— because— I’m not allowed to. I’m sorry. I’m sorry. I promise it won’t happen again. I’m sorry.” The teen replies quickly. 

(No amount of ‘sorry’ ever fixes it, but he can hope)

Tommy darts between Tubbo and Wilbur (not Schlatt, Wilbur, not Schlatt) and immediately comes to Tubbo’s defense.

“Woah, woah, hey! Wilbur, what the fuck?” He curses. “Leave him the hell alone, you fucking— wanker. You’re a wanker. Fuckass.” 

Tubbo wants to laugh, but laughing never ends well. Wilbur snorts into a laugh that’s enough for the both of them, though. Tubbo lets himself pretend he’s twelve again. 

“Sorry, sorry, it’s just been forever since you’ve called me ‘wanker’, Toms.” Wilbur chuckles. He relaxes his position, slouching a little Tubbo feels like he can breathe a little better now that he isn’t being suffocated by intimidation.

Wilbur looks over Tommy’s shoulder with slight worry, “Tubbo?”

Tubbo can’t help but snap back to a rod-straight stance, hands once again folded neatly behind his back. “Yes?”

“I’m sorry I scared you, kiddo,” Wilbur says gently, “Are you okay?”

“Yes.”

Tommy turns around with a concerned look. “You’re sure?”

Tubbo doesn’t answer. Behind his back, he fiddles with his hands.

“Tubbo, can we see your face?” Wilbur asks.

The teen mumbles a fearful response, but neither of his brothers hear it.

“Huh?” Tommy asks.

Tubbo speaks just a little louder. His voice is still quiet. “I don’t want you to get mad.”

He doesn’t miss the pained look on Tommy’s face, or the way that Wilbur’s expression drops into briefly agonizing worry.

“We won’t be mad at you, I promise.” Wilbur whispers.

Tubbo’s hands tremble in the silence that follows. He can’t decide if it’s safe or not (no one should get the opportunity to ask, after all). Ten seconds pass before he uses one shaky hand to move his hair away from his eyes.

It hurts, but he’s gotten good at covering pain. Still, it blooms across his face like the barely-faded bruising under his eyes and on his ribs. 

Tubbo tries to block out Wilbur’s sharp gasp.

* * *

Tubbo returns to Manberg a spy, and he doesn’t know how to handle it.

He is always tense, always ready to be caught, always coming up for at least five fake reasons for why he is in one place or another, even if he was told to be there in the first place.

(He tells Tommy and Wilbur that his nose is broken because of a nasty fall when they ask, for example)

The next day, Schlatt announces that a festival is to be held on the sixteenth of the next month. Tubbo can feel the exhaustion weigh him down even if the date is far off. He imagines the paperwork, the stress, and the longer hours. 

He decides that he isn’t excited for the festival at all, but he smiles anyway.

Image is important, as Schlatt says.

* * *

In the dead of the night, as he’s working on fine-print and obnoxiously long words, Tubbo snaps his head up.

Why is he letting Schlatt worm his way into his head? Why is he laying down and taking it? Isn’t he angry? Isn’t he a soldier? Isn’t he done?

(Isn’t he a kid? He brushes that thought away— he’s been through too much to be considered a kid anymore)

He piles his papers into a neat stack at the corner of his desk and clicks his pen closed. Hasn’t he had enough?

He shoves his seat back from the desk and pushes his hair out of his face. It is dark, and his head hurts. His head hurts. He is angry. He is upset, he is scared, he is sad, and he _will_ feel it all, whether Schlatt likes it or not.

Tubbo leaves his tiny office quietly, unfinished work be damned. He is searching, now, for something sharp. He digs through empty rooms and drawers, but he can’t seem to find any pairs of scissors.

The lights flick on when he’s looking through Quackity’s desk, and Tubbo freezes. His hand is hovering over a pair of scissors he’s only just found, and when he looks up, Quackity is standing in the doorway.

Tubbo raises his hands and backs away from the desk slowly, eyes owlishly blinking at the vice president clearly for the first time in two weeks. Quackity stares back. The silence lasts for a full minute before Quackity clears his throat.

“Haven’t— uh— haven’t seen your eyes in a bit, Tubbster,” He says hesitantly.

Tubbo only nods. 

“Shit.” The winged man curses, “He got you pretty good, didn’t he?” 

Tubbo assumes he means his nose in reference to Schlatt. He nods carefully. “Yeah. Why do you care?”

Quackity steps into the room and closes the door, a hand pressed against the back of his neck. “Let’s just say you aren’t the only one.”

“Oh.”

“Yeah.”

There is an even longer silence, and Tubbo creeps back to the desk. He takes out the scissors and holds them out to Quackity. It’s a sign of some trust, a little forgiveness.

“What’s that for, kiddo?” 

Tubbo inhales shakily and grins a little. “If— if he’s so proud of what he’s doing,” He says, “why shouldn’t we let everyone know?”

Quackity’s eyebrows raise high on his forehead. “What?”

“I’m mad, Quackity.” Tubbo says. “And I want him to know that. So— so I’m cutting my hair. So he can’t hit my face anymore. Or everyone will see it.”

“I—” Quackity is quiet for a moment, but he takes a few steps closer and takes the scissors. “I’ll help you, but you know he’ll just go for places people can’t see now, right?”

“I know.” Tubbo says. “But my head hurts, and I’m tired.”

And somewhere inside, Quackity knows that Tubbo is the kind of tired that won’t be fixed by sleep, so he beckons the boy closer and begins the liberating process of taking away just a little bit of Schlatt’s shield.

(And somewhere far off, Tommy curls up near his oldest brother and hopes his message makes it to his father)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Don't you just wanna go apeshit
> 
> Quackity fuels teenage rebellion dot jpeg
> 
> I don't beta read any of this. If spell check doesn't catch it, it goes in
> 
> :)


	51. 51

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A change of pace, a change of— oh.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HELLO THIS IS SO LATE  
> I WAS GONNA UPLOAD ON MONDAY, BUT I FORGOT, AND THEN TUESDAY WAS THE SIXTEENTH SO I WAS TOO BUSY MONITORING TWITCH SO I WOULDN'T MISS ANY LORE STUFF, AND I'VE BEEN WORKING ON THIS CHAPTER SINCE YESTERDAY
> 
> Tysm for sticking around qvq
> 
> CW: vague implications of a not so good backstory, no fucking plotline in this chapter, it's everywhere man

“I need to get out of here.”

Time stops for a moment as Eret stands by the ladder of the cave, where Punz sits with Dream, George, and Beast. They don’t fidget, per say, but they definitely don’t look too comfortable. They shift from foot to foot, glancing at the quiet room.

“The demon is gone, and I’ve been fine since— since before this place even had a fence.” Eret explains. 

“Then why the hell did you lock yourself in here?” Punz asks incredulously. Eret looks away.

“I, uh…” They take a short breath, “I wanted to prove I could be trusted…?” 

It comes out as more of a question than a statement. Beast frowns a little, and Dream winces.

“You know you don’t have to trap yourself in a literal mini-hell to do that, right?” Punz asks with what could be considered worry.

The mercenary has about one living family member left, and hasn’t seen the guy for a suspicious three weeks. If he’s gotten attached to a few of the people here, that is his own business, and they don’t need to know.

(Rule one: don’t have any attachments— but Punz has never listened to rules)

“I was proving it.” Eret repeats quietly. Dream frowns a little.

_Good_ , Punz thinks, _frown about it._

Dream’s mask lays on the ground a few feet away. He hasn’t put it on since Karl’s put his own on. Punz thinks it funny how quickly they switched. He finds a lot of things funny that he shouldn’t, he’s realizing.

(Like how all of them think him to be as old or older than them. He is younger than Eret)

“You don’t need to prove yourself, kid.” Beast says.

“I’m not a kid,” Eret replies, “I’m twenty-four.”

(Oh, Punz is definitely younger than them)

“Close enough.” George shrugs. “So when are you going to talk to Karl about it? He’s not really in this room right now.”

“Oh.” Eret replies. The look on their face shows that they hadn’t even realized. 

With a heave and a shrug, Punz pulls himself up off of the ground. “C’mon, let’s go find him, _kid_.”

Eret snorts. “Not a kid. Gods, is this what Tommy sounds like?”

“I don’t even know who that is.” 

* * *

Finding Karl is easy. For one, he’s always wearing obnoxiously bright clothes, and for two, he’s almost always near whoever is crying the hardest at any given point in time.

That being said, Eret and Punz follow the sound of reassurances and questions, finding Karl sitting outside on the hill next to Sapnap. Surprisingly, none of the snow around the Blaze hybrid has melted.

“Therapy on hold!” Punz shouts as he and Eret walk toward the duo. Sapnap snorts as he looks up.

“Yeah?”

“Yep. Karl, funky man, honk-boy, important announcement incoming.” 

“What’s up?” Karl asks from under the mask.

“Eret’s cleared, and apparently has been since before they even came up to us, so they’re leaving now that it’s safe to.” The mercenary says, rocking back on his heels.

“Wait, really?” Karl shoots up, worried eyes snapping to Eret. “Why didn’t you say anything? Oh, honk, I wouldn’t have sealed you in here if I knew you were okay, jeez, I’m sorry, kid.”

“No, no, it’s okay! I chose to be here.” Eret quickly says, waving their hands. “I just—”

Punz doesn’t miss the glance they send toward the fencing. He gets it, though he doesn’t tell any of them why.

“You and Beast are busy with the three musketeers there.” Punz takes over. “It’s been three-ish, maybe four weeks since we’ve seen anything from Niki or Wilbur. Even doctor-man isn’t showing.”

“Isn’t his name Ponk?”

“Doctor-man. Anyway,” Punz looks back at Karl. “Eret’s good to go, so we’re leaving. We need you to take down the enchantments.”

Eret spins to face Punz with a wide-eyed look, “ _We_?” Punz ignores them.

Sapnap sits a little straighter, “And us?”

Punz immediately snaps a, “Fuck no, you three are staying here.”

Sapnap looks to Karl, looking lost and a little hurt, but Karl simply nods. “What? Why?”

“You guys were a lot further gone for a lot longer than Eret was. They haven’t been,” Karl pauses. He’s trying to find a nice way to say, “a threat, I guess, in a while.” He looks back at Punz.

“What did you mean by ‘we’, though?”

“I’m going with them. Better safe than sorry, right? We don’t know what’s out there that made everyone stop coming, and I don’t know about you, but I don’t feel super confident in letting one of us go out alone to find out.” 

The small group quiets down a bit at that. Karl thinks it over for a few more minutes.

“Tomorrow. It’s gonna be dark soon, and I don’t want you two getting lost or hurt. Like you said, we don’t know what’s out there.”

“Okay, but hear me out; I can totally take whatever it is.” Punz says. Karl snorts.

“Sure, if it was only you going. You’re not a mysterious loner anymore, Punzo. You have to be smart about when you leave.”

“Yeah!” Sapnap pipes up. “Just because you’re older than Eret—” He stops. “Wait, are you? We never actually figured that out.”

Punz shuts up, which unfortunately only damns him into being caught. 

“Punz,” Karl’s voice takes on an almost parental tone. “How old are you?”

“Pass.” He blurts out. He really just should have laughed off Sapnap’s question and feigned confirmation.

“Hey,” This time it’s Eret. “You don’t have to go into specifics. I’ll throw ages out there, you say older or younger.”

Karl sits back down, motioning for Punz and Eret to follow. When they’re all seated in a mockery of a circle, Eret speaks up again.

“Eighteen.”

Punz crosses his arms. “Older.”

“Twenty-five.”

“Younger.”

“Nineteen.”

“Older.”

“Twenty-four.”

Silence. “Younger.”

Eret frowns. They don’t say another number, willing to give Punz at least a little bit of privacy. “So you’re somewhere between nineteen and twenty-four.” They say instead.

Punz nods. “Somewhere.”

“So I’m not the youngest one here anymore.” 

Punz grins. “You never were, technically.” 

“This makes you the kid now!” Eret laughs.

“No.” 

* * *

Sunrise the next morning sees Punz, Karl, Dream, and Eret at the fence border of Rutabagaville. Punz and Eret each have small bags packed, full of whatever they own (which isn’t much, honestly).

Karl whispers at the barrier in a language that none of the other three are fluent in. Like a lightswitch gone haywire, the purple sheen of protective magic stutters before disappearing entirely.

“Woah.” Dream breathes. Punz can see the awe in the man’s eyes. He finds it funny how he can see Dream’s face better than he can Karl’s now, when the beginning of the hellhole sanctuary had been the complete opposite.

“Forgot the sky wasn’t indigo.” Punz jokes. Eret snorts a bit.

“I forgot the sky _existed_.” Dream jests back.

Karl laughs. “Yeah, well now you can finally touch some grass!”

“More snow than grass.”

“Freeze then.” Eret says.

The four laugh for about a minute before they calm down. A comfortable silence settles over them, but it doesn’t take long for it to become somber.

Dream turns out to be a very expressive man without the mask, Eret notes. His eyebrows furrow and his frown deepens. Punz whacks at the fencing with his axe. He talks to Karl about something that Eret doesn’t bother to eavesdrop on. They instead try to have their first one-on-one conversation with the man that raised their brother.

“So.”

Off to a great start. Dream sighs. “I know that saying sorry isn’t going to undo or fix anything I’ve done.”

“I wasn’t asking for you to be sorry,” Eret says, “I’m not even sure if I want to hear it. I know it wasn’t your fault, but you can’t just fix that all with words.”

Dream nods. “Do you think actions will do anything?”

Eret shrugs. “It might help. You can’t give it up, though. No giving up. You— it’s one of those things that isn’t gonna fix itself.”

“Yeah? Is that what you’re doing now?”

“I’m trying.” They reply. “What I did under the possession— it hurt them a lot. They trusted me, and I broke that trust. I don’t think they’ll forgive me and I honestly don’t think I want them to. Tubbo’s family— we all ended up horribly. I just need to know that he’s okay. I need him to be safe.”

“That is what started all of this, isn’t it?”

Eret breathes out a laugh, “I guess so… I guess so.” They turn to Dream, “So what’s going on with your mask, if I can ask?”

Dream grins a little, “You said actions help, right? I’m hoping that maybe I can earn some trust back if I don’t look like I’m, y’know, all closed off.”

Eret nods. Punz breaks another rung.

“You’ll scare them less this way.” They agree. Dream slips back into a frown.

“Does it scare you any less?”

“No.” They answer bluntly. “I mean, it helps that I can see your expressions, but you’re still scary. Mask or not, you scare me, and you’re gonna scare them, too.” 

Dream winces from the honesty. “I deserve that.”

Eret doesn’t answer. Dream doesn’t make them. 

“You two done?” Punz calls, having made an opening big enough to wiggle through.

Eret nods and starts walking toward the barrier, but Dream stops them. 

“Tell— can you tell Tubbo I’m sorry?” He asks quietly. 

There’s an uncomfortable silence before Eret says, “No, you need to do that on your own. I’m not going to be your apology, and I promise you I will be protecting my little brothers from you until they feel safe again.” 

They follow Punz out of the break in the fence without waiting for Dream’s response. 

When the duo disappears into the trees, Karl starts tacking wood over the breach.

“Karl?”

“Mhm?”

“Are you scared of me?”

“The nice answer would be no, wouldn’t it?” Karl laughs lightly.

“Karl.”

Karl hums, a smile still on his face under his mask.

“I think ‘scared’ would be the understatement of the century.” He says. “But I don’t wanna deal with that right now. I'd rather be scared and be fixing something than be scared and let it continue to break, you know?"

"You're not talking about the fence, are you?"

"Am I?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I MEANT TO PUT THIS IN THE LAST CHAPTER BUT HELLO PEOPLE FROM TIKTOK, I HAVE BEEN INFORMED THAT MY STORY HAS MADE IT TO YOU!!
> 
> Three more chapters and an epilogue to go... 
> 
> Eret being passive aggressive is my favorite part of this chapter ngl


	52. 52

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The return

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What???? 8bit updating on time???? Pog moment  
> This one is a bit short :]
> 
> CW: implied trauma, very short and non-descriptive breakdown

Ranboo is scared of the outside. 

To be fair, he’s afraid of most things, but outside is probably the worst of them all. Living in constant snow is a nightmare for him. He’s been inside for about two and a half years now just to avoid being burnt, but now he finally has to leave.

He is taller than both Phil and Techno now, though it does little to keep him from cowering behind them at the door. The new captain is waiting for them at the docks, Phil says as they pack their bags. Techno wastes no time trudging through the snow with a thick back slung over his back.

Phil steps out as well, walking a little slower than his son. Ranboo loiters at the doorway. He is bundled from head to toe, but he can’t bring himself to step outside. He knows it is important to— the letter said so— but he shakes a little anyway. Phil turns around, noticing.

“Ranboo? Are you okay?” He backtracks. Techno stops and looks back. He doesn’t follow Phil, but he is waiting, and that is important enough.

“Ranboo?” Phil asks again, quieter.

“Sorry, sorry, I just—” Ranboo stares at the snow. 

“Kid?” Techno calls. Ranboo shakes his head.

“Coming.”

He steps into the snow, and the three hurry to the dock.

* * *

If Ranboo was afraid of outside, he is infinitely more afraid of the ocean. For one whole week, he is expected to stay on a large, rocking boat, surrounded by water. It splashes up the sides sometimes and lands all over the deck. 

He stays below deck in a spare room with Phil and Techno, and he does not leave it.

Within the first few hours on the ship, he cracks under the pressure and cries into Phil’s shoulder because he is scared. He doesn’t want to be trapped under the sea, left to burn to death and never return. 

Later, Phil has the captain of the ship himself come and speak with Ranboo. He explains how a ship works, how it floats, and that is it very unlikely that they will sink. He tells Ranboo all about the waterproofing process, and even shows him some of the sealing wax. 

Ranboo is still understandably and undeniably afraid, but he is reassured for long enough to be able to understand what the captain says and nod along to it. He still refuses to go above deck, but no one tries to make him.

That night, Ranboo falls asleep with a braid in his hair, a story in his head, and a promise that he will wake up safe the next day.

And he does.

* * *

The day they arrive at a new port is a day that Ranboo will never, ever forget.

The ship pulls into the large harbor, and Ranboo watches through a window as a boy stands at the edge of the woodenplanks— he eyes the ship with a disappointed glance and low ears, but speaks with the captain anyway. Ranboo doesn’t pay much attention to the interaction, instead trailing after Phil and Techno as they disembark quickly. 

He follows them as they beeline through the town that feels so naggingly familiar (but it isn’t at the same time). They don’t stop once, simply looking for a specific building, it seems. Phil spots what they’re looking for first. He heads to a small, two-story building and knocks in a familiar pattern. Ranboo recognizes it as the doctor’s knock— Ponk.

Sure enough, the man himself opens up. His eyes widen at the sight of the trio.

“You’re here?” He asks, almost shocked. 

“Only for a short while, I’m afraid.” Phil says. “I am so sorry to ask so suddenly, but do you have a spare room at all?”

Ponk opens the door further to usher them inside, “Yes, yes, of course, come on in. Are you all alright?”

Techno shakes his head, staying put. “Fine. The room’s not for me or Phil.” He nudges Ranboo forward a little. Ponk notices and quickly starts looking for any sign of injury on the young boy.

“What?” Ranboo asks, turning to his brother. “Wait, no, what’s going on?”

Phil snaps his head toward Techno, “You didn’t tell him?”

“I thought you said you were goin’ t’.” Techno defends.

“Tell me what?” 

Ponk looks up. “You’re leaving him here, aren’t you?”

Ranboo makes a distressed noise suddenly, not wanting to be left. Techno sets a heavy hand on his shoulder.

“It’s what’s safest.” He drones. He looks at the Enderman hybrid, “Don’t worry. ‘S not for long.”

Ranboo feels like he’s back on the ship, and it is filling with water ever so slowly.

* * *

The first day with Ponk goes by in what feels like seconds. Ranboo blinks and it’s morning. He blinks again and he’s in the living room and Ponk is checking him over with worried eyes.

“Are you here?” The doctor asks.

“Kind of.” Ranboo replies.

He blinks again and two more people are walking into the house. One is blonde, wearing a white hoodie and a golden metal. He has a bag over his shoulder and an intimidating expression. 

The other is quite tall and has brown hair. They wear a grey t-shirt under a red cape. They have one horn, a black-tipped nose, and a pair of sunglasses. Their eyes land on Ranboo and they freeze.

Their mouth opens and closes like they’re a fish out of the water, or like they don’t know what to say. And can anyone blame them? The last time they saw Ranboo was when Techno was dragging what they assumed to be the teen’s corpse away from the field. Even with Niki’s confirmation about everything, Eret didn’t expect to see Ranboo anytime soon.

“Ranboo?”

He blinks again.

* * *

Techno follows the directions in Tommy’s letter to a T, weaving between trees with triangular notches and roots with slashes. Phil gracefully weaves between roots and branches. Techno has no doubt that his father could do this with his eyes closed.

Phil wears green for a reason, unlike Dream. A Blessed of Mother Earth herself, Phil knows the land like it is an extension of his own body. Techno relies on Tommy’s code to make his way through the forest, but Phil walks as if he’s been there thousands of times before.

If he listens closely and ignores the voices, Techno can almost hear the earth whispering and guiding the eldest.

Still, Tommy and Wilbur are hidden so far out that it takes an hour of traversing to find the hill they’ve carved out. Tommy is sitting at the entrance. When he sees Phil and Techno, he leaps up and runs to them.

For once, Techno doesn’t pretend to hate his brother's hugs.

* * *

Wilbur is different and Phil can tell. His oldest son is jittery and paranoid and Tommy says he ‘smells red’. Phil sees it.

He sits next to his boy while Tommy shows Techno around. WIlbur sits next to him. In times like this, Phil would wrap a wing around him and hold him close. Right now, though, all he has is a dark green cape. 

He drapes it over Wilbur’s shoulders and pulls him into a hug. The brunette stops his ranting short.

Phil murmurs, “We will save you, Wilbur. Hold on a little while longer, kiddo.”

Wilbur doesn’t answer. He hugs his dad tighter, and he is scared to let go.

* * *

_Eret knows you._

_They are Niki’s twin. We can’t find Niki. Eret is scared to leave you alone for some reason. They probably remember something we don’t, honestly. Tubbo is real, but we never see him. He’s really busy. Tommy is real, too, but Ponk says he isn’t coming back for a long time._

_Punz is scary, but Ponk and Eret trust him._

_There’s supposed to be a festival in a week, but none of us trust it. Techno and Phil are with Tommy and Wilbur. I don’t remember Tommy, Tubbo, or Wilbur very clear at all. I know their names. That’s it._

_Ponk says that stress is causing me to forget pockets of time again. He’s probably right. He is a doctor. Purpled comes around sometimes. He found his dad, but his dad is trapped._

_I miss Phil and Techno._

_—Ranboo, Oct. 9 XX20_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Almost there 👀
> 
> Oh yeah btw Punz is related to Ponk but that isn't a big plot point and it doesn't have a lot of relevance 
> 
> I mean, it might be relevant in a different story, but not this one


	53. 53

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mary had a little lamb, whose fleece was white as snow.
> 
> Mary, Mary, little lamb, where did you go?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Reminder not to spoil streams at all in my comments! I will delete ur comment :) 
> 
> This chapter is very heavy, please be warned. 
> 
> TW: Child death, execution, possession, descriptive metaphors, count downs, implied/referenced abuse, broken bones, descriptive death

**[ 24 Hours ]**

For the first time in two years, Tommy feels like there might be real, solid hope. 

His dad and his brother are back, and according to them, so is his totally-younger-brother. Wilbur is starting to smell less red than he has in a month, but Tommy is still wary. He isn’t yellow yet, more grey. 

The red is still there.

(Tommy is still scared)

The teen spends a lot of time with Techno, helping him plant potatoes and carve out two new rooms. Techno, in turn, tells him what’s been happening on his end, from Ranboo’s memory loss to Puffy’s warning.

Tommy snorts. “And you came here anyway?”

Techno doesn’t laugh. “Shouldn’t’a left in th’ first place.”

**[ 12 hours ]**

Tubbo is assigned decorations duty for the festival with Fundy when it happens.

Without any warning, a group five suddenly show up at the treeline. Fundy spots them before he does, and the fox hybrid steps in front of his little brother.

“Tubbo,” He whispers frantically, “How about you go work on the, uh, the— the stage now? I’ll take care of the banners. Yeah. Go on, now.”

Tubbo turns to question Fundy, but freezes when he sees the five. 

Sapnap, a maskless Dream, a confused-looking George, a box-headed person that he assumes is Karl, and a stranger stand in his line of sight. He regrets cutting his hair, then, because his eyes go wide and his face screws up in fear, and they can see it all. He doesn’t think he’s panicking, because he’s gotten good at not panicking, but he still shakes.

Fundy turns Tubbo to face him. “Hey, hey, it’s okay. It’s gonna be fine. Go work on the stage, I’ll take care of them, okay? It’s okay.”

“They’re here.” Tubbo whispers.

“I know, Tubs, I know, but I’m gonna take care of it. It’s gonna be fine. We can’t stop working, though, you know that— but someone has to deal with this, and we both know you’re not in the headspace for it. I’ll be right back.”

Tubbo gives him a stuttering nod and quickly walks off toward the festival stage. He doesn’t turn to watch what happens.

**[ 11 hours ]**

It takes one short hour for Tubbo to calm down fully, and not once in that timeframe does he look over to see what’s happened. 

The repetitive _tak, tak, tak_ of a hammer on nails keeps him grounded for the most part. The stage is almost completely finished by the time that Fundy slips back over.

“Tubbo?”

“Huh— oh, hey.” Tubbo sets the hammer down and glances around. Dream, Sapnap, George, and the stranger are gone. Karl stands a ways behind Fundy.

“Hey, Karl is gonna help us out over here with the last-minute things, banners and stands and all.” Fundy says. 

“And— and the others…?”

“Gone, for now. I couldn’t get them to not come to the festival, but they’ll stay away until then.”

A pause.

“Okay.”

**[ 5 hours ]**

“Dad, can I tell you something?”

Tommy sits outside, legs swinging over the side of a lake near the hideout. Phil sits behind him, loosely brushing his son’s hair with his hands.

“Of course.” He says.

Tommy hums for a minute, mulling over his thoughts.

“Wil doesn’t smell very red anymore. I think this week’s been good for him.” He declares.

Phil snorts, “I would hope so. I can’t imagine what you had to go through. That isn’t what you want to tell me, though, is it?”

“Stop being all smart and dadd-ish!” Tommy whines. “Can’t a guy have any suspense?”

“That isn’t suspense, Toms,” Phil sighs, “I know you’re scared— you have every logical reason to be.”

“I’m not fucking scared.”

“You are. And that’s okay, Tommy. You can tell me anything. I will always be here to listen to you, kiddo.”

Tommy doesn’t reply. Phil finishes brushing his hair, and scoots to sit next to his son instead.

“The water is nice today.”

“Techno smells red.”

**[ 4 hours ]**

The festival is in full swing by the time that Karl can drag his friends out. 

“Remember, you’re not allowed near Tubbo, okay? I know you miss him, I know you’re sorry, but he’s scared honkless right now. Also, he’s busy.” He re-briefs the trio that follows him like lost ducklings.

Dream and Sapnap nod, but George looks distracted.

“Georgie?”

“Sorry, sorry, just looking around.” The man quickly re-focuses. “Got it.”

Karl nods. “Beast is gonna meet up with us later, and I think Punz might, too, if he’s not with Eret.”

“Is that his real name?” George asks suddenly. 

“Who? Punz?” Sapnap replies.

“No, no, Beast. Like, is his name really ‘Beast’? Is that a code name? Nickname?” 

Karl hums. “Mmm, nope! His name’s Beast. Has been since we were little! It was really funny— it was Karl, Chris, and then Beast! Whole town thought it was hilarious.” He laughs.

Sapnap counts his fingers, and Dream furrows his eyebrows. The green-clad man speaks up. 

“I thought it was just you and Beast.”

Karl acts like he can’t hear Dream, and keeps on walking. 

“Oh, hey! Look! They’ve got an ice rink! C’mon, I wanna go skate!”

**[ 3 hours ]**

Techno shows up to the festival late on purpose.

He’s not sure why, exactly. Wilbur wants him to scout, and he wants to make as many officials as angry as he can, so the obvious solution is to be very, very late. Almost two hours so, he believes.

He spots Dream, Sapnap, and George wandering around and is immediately put on edge by their presence. He trails after them from a distance, until George sports him and waves excitedly.

Techno borderline snarls in response, to which George jumps back at. Dream turns around and Techno is met with a human face instead of a mask. He glares regardless. Sapnap doesn’t try to look at the younger man.

Good choice.

They’re ushered away by a guy with an eyesore of a jacket tied around his waist. Techno heads toward the dunk-tank to avoid them.

He ends up being dunked by some wolf-kid who immediately declares Techno his enemy. He doesn’t remember the kid’s face. 

Fundy stares at him from outside of the tank with wide eyes. That’s his little brother— one of the ones that he hasn’t been able to speak to since the separation, as he’s called it. Fundy’s eyes don’t leave him, even when Techno pulls himself from the water. 

Techno doesn’t get why he doesn’t want to look back.

**[ 2 hours ]**

Phil follows Wilbur and Tommy closely.

They aren’t supposed to be anywhere near ‘Manberg”, but it is their home, and they know how to fight. The most he can do as their dad is to follow and make sure they are safe.

He’s jittery from the news— ‘Techno smells red’. He doesn’t even know what that means. Tommy’s explained it, but it still just won’t settle.

The most he can do is pull his oldest behind corners when he gets too close to being spotted, and remind his youngest to be a little quieter.

It scares him how he doesn’t have to tell them more than once.

**[ 1 hour ]**

“Dad, I need to tell you something.”

“What is it, Wil?”

“I have a button.”

**[ 45 minutes ]**

Sam stares at the sea of people and feels nothing but absolute heartbreak. 

He is not free yet, but his son has taken as many shifts as possible, so Sam can pretend. Purpled stands next to him now, at attention and stiff as a board. It reminds Sam of when Purpled was freshly 13 and far too serious for his age.

On his other side stands Niki, seething. 

She can see her little brother, choppy-haired and crooked-nosed and darting around the festival like his life depends on it (and it sickens her and Sam both to know that it probably does). He weaves through people expertly and dodges arms like a pro.

Neither of the two can wander the festival, but J. Schlatt wanted them out of the cells and watching. Purpled doesn’t know why. He’s taken the shift anyway, because anyone can feel that something is off. He doesn’t want to lose his dad again.

“Techno’s here.” Purpled says quietly.

Niki’s attention snaps up. She looks around frantically.

“By the dunk-tank.” The teen adds. 

(And gods, he is only a teenager— eighteen years old and too young for any of this)

(They were all too young)

There Techno sits, on the top of the tank. A few moments pass, and someone dunks him. Niki can pinpoint the moment that he sees Fundy, because he stops and the two have a staring competition. 

Techno drags himself out of the tank and moves on, disappearing in the crowd.

“Is he your brother?” Sam asks, hoping for some sort of conversation. It’s been dead silence up until now, and he can hear his own heartbeat.

“Second-oldest, all adopted.” Niki nods. 

“So that would make him Fundy’s as well, then, yeah?”

“Yes.”

Sam hums, nodding. 

Purpled stands straighter. “Something is wrong.”

“Of course something is wrong.” Niki huffs.

“Hey.” Purpled retorts. “I’m just saying. Anyway, Blood Boy over there. Something’s up with him specifically.”

“What do you mean, kiddo?” Sam straightens a bit as well. He looms over the crowd. It’ll keep people and questions away for the most part, he thinks.

“I mean, he’s more Blood God-y than he’s supposed to be.”

**[ 30 minutes ]**

“Tubbo, do me a favor and start rounding everybody up, will you? It’s almost time for the speeches.”

“Yessir, President Schlatt.”

**[ 20 minutes ]**

Schlatt speaks in his usual booming voice.

He welcomes the festival-goers, congratulates the games, and takes the credit entirely.

Tubbo and Quackity stand on either side of him. They look so small compared to the president.

“Now, some words from Tubbo, shall we? Get on over here, founder-boy.”

Quieter, away from the mic, “Don’t you dare say anything bad, boy.”

“Of course, sir.”

**[ 10 minutes ]**

Tubbo speaks loud and clear, but his voice is steady.

The entirety of L’manurg (“Manberg”) can see his bruised nose. They can all see the too-big suit and the black dyed sneakers. He reeks of a hurt child, and poetically, he supposes he is. 

He feels like Tommy, insisting to himself that he is not a child. 

He misses his brothers—

_He can see his brothers_.

**[ 5 minutes ]**

Wilbur sees Tubbo on the stage and he knows it is all wrong, everything is wrong.

Phil has an arm wrapped around his torso to keep him in place. Since the button admission (pounds and pounds of dynamite, linked to a single press), he has not let go of his son. Wilbur is thankful.

He doesn’t know what it is, but he can breathe easier now. His mind is less fogged. It is clearer in every aspect. He shakes in his dad’s hold, and he cries. 

(How long has it been since that thing has had a hold over his mind? He doesn’t know. It started after he hugged Eret— when did he last see them…?)

“Dad,” He whispers— whines, even, pitifully. “Dad, something bad is gonna happen.”

“Wilbur?” Phil asks, and he’s sure that his son can feel him tense up, “What do you mean, Wil?”

The man looks up with hauntingly wide, watery eyes. “Dad, something bad is gonna happen.”

**[ 2 minutes ]**

“Got anything else to say, Tubbo?” 

Schlatt’s voice silences the cheers. It stabs a knife into the festivities, wrenching open a gaping wound that oozes pulsing, suffocating blood. The sudden silence washes over Tubbo and leaves him shivering.

“No, sir, President Schlatt, sir.”

“Oh, well that’s— that’s funny. I could’ve sworn that the— oh, what do you call them? The _spies_ , I could’ve sworn that every story showed the filthy fucking _traitors_ , those guys, yeah, they always show their true colors at the big shebang moment.” Schlatt’s hand is on his shoulder, heavy and clamped and painful and Tubbo swears his shoulder will break.

“I-I’m not a—”

“‘I-I-I-I’ speak _up_ , Tubbo. C’mon, boy, tell them what you did.” Schlatt snaps. “Tell them,” He yanks Tubbo closer to the edge of the podium, “how you decided to worm your way to Wilbur Soot and Tommy Innit. Tell them about how much of a lying, back-stabbing, traitorous little _snake_ you are!”

“Please, I don’t know what you’re—”

“I changed my mind, actually. Shut up, I don’t want to _hear_ it.” The ram’s grip gets unbearably tight. When he punctuates his words, a deep, sickening pop hits Tubbo’s ears.

The teenger shrieks in pain (his shoulder is definitely broken). Schlatt yanks him back, throwing him to the ground. The crowd shakes out of their stupor, a few people gasping, others screaming in shock, and a few even running back home.

“I _said_ , be quiet!” Schlatt roars, “And if you won’t shut up, I’ll make you.”

**[ 1 minute ]**

“Technoblade! Come up here, buddy.”

“Techno…?”

“Dad, dad, dad something bad is gonna happen.”

“Techno smells red— _Fuck_ he’s red! Tubbo— we gotta— please, no, no, no—”

**[ 45 seconds ]**

Techno lumbers up the stairs to the podium, a rocket launcher in hand.

“Shut him up, will you? Make it hurt.” Schlatt sneers.

The crowd screams. Sam and Niki and Purpled are shoving their way through the sea of people, but they are far in the back. Fundy scrambles for the stairs. Quackity is dropped to his knees behind Tubbo, trying to hold the boy close, protective wings flaring out.

Schlatt kicks him away. He screams.

“You can’t do this!”

“But I’m not. He is.”

**[ 20 seconds ]**

Tubbo can’t breathe. 

He scrambles back on broken bones and bruised skin. He’s not supposed to be afraid of his big brother.

(He wasn’t supposed to be scared of Papa or Dada or Sappa or Gogy or Et—)

When Techno steps forward and loads the launcher, it feels like hours, even though logically it is only

**[ 5 seconds ]**

“Tech— Techno please, please, please, please—”

“ _Tubbo_ —!”

“Please, please, please—”

**[ 3 seconds ]**

Techno doesn’t want this. 

He can’t stand watching a kid as small as Tubbo be afraid of him again.

(Ranboo, Purpled—)

He raises the crossbow anyway and lights the wick, and he doesn't know why.

**[ 1 second ]**

All Tubbo can feel is burning, agonizing pain.

He is being burnt alive, he is being ripped to pieces and incinerated. He is being run through with an explosion meant for the skies.

(Is he then a star? Shining bright, but only one among billions of the same?)

All Tubbo can hear is screaming, and he cannot tell if it is his own or not.

His ears hurt.

And despite it all, the only thing he can bring himself to think is the following:

_Oh._

_This wasn’t planned._

**[ 0 seconds ]**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wonder if this one hurt more than 25 
> 
> Take some tissues and a hug, it's almost over 💙


End file.
